Fire's Emblem
by Shadow Strabi-star22
Summary: (Gold version). Kidnapped by the infamous Team Rocket, a young gijinka girl finds herself separated from her best friends. Graduates of Oak's Lab, each one carries three mysterious stones that hold absolute power potentially for world domination. Roaming through Johto, the girl now strives to reunite with those she had lost with new companions by her side...but will it be enough?
1. Chapter 1: The girl from a distant land

**A/N**: I got my Pokemon passion back y'all! Whoo! Jk I still love Pokemon but did not have the passion to rewrite another Pokemon fic after my failed first attempt. Oh well, here's to a story (I'm sooo gonna have to kick my own ass at the stories I still have to write.)

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own. Pokemon belongs to the rightful owner. The gijinkas Hayes Frondemen and Gabe Brandeve belong to Nyapapa and if you haven't read that comic on deviantArt yet...do it cause it's hella awesome.

**Gijinka**\- also known as **Moe Anthropomorphism**, is a Japanese word meaning "humanoid", "personification", or "anthropomorphic"

* * *

**Chapter 1: The girl from a distant land**

_Kanto region (the past)..._

"Now it's time to introduce yourself to your new comrades." Professor Samuel Oak, a 55 year old Blastoise gijinka announced with a smile. Today was the day he gave his top three students special gifts as a reward for graduating his class early. Now these kids have not met before since they all enrolled at his academy at different times. These three kids, one with short teal-colored hair and aqua eyes, one with shoulder-length blue-green hair and olive eyes and the last one, a young girl with mid-length spiky orange hair and cobalt blue eyes all looked at each other shyly before turning away. "I know introductions are hard but I guarantee that after today you all will be teammates and forge a bond like no other."

"The name's Blitz Wolt." The boy said as he puffed up his chest with a grin. He was wearing a brown jacket and teal-colored shorts. "Nice to meet you two." He was a little nervous on the inside but he felt good going first.

"Likewise." The girl with blue-green hair nodded in agreement. She was wearing a green dress that sported dark green polka-dots. "I'm Hime Ava, please remember that."

"My...My name is Asura Rhys." I spoke when they looked at me, getting a little confident after seeing the other two introduce themselves. I was sporting a teal-colored t-shirt with orange shorts. "Please take good care of me."

"Now that you have been thoroughly acquainted, I have a gift for you as acknowledgment of your friendship." We turned to see Oak hold out a giant white box. "These are ancient relics that my acquaintance Professor Fuji sent me from his research lab."

"Wow..." We exclaimed once the box was opened. Inside were three marble looking stones with weird looking emblems on it. "Wait...what are these?"

"These are known as Mega stones." Oak said. "Go ahead and choose one."

"Does it matter which ones we take?" I asked him and he shook his head no.

"Then I guess I call dibs on this one." Blitz said as he grabbed the stone on the left. There was a flash and once it died down we noticed that the stone was on his finger, like a ring. "What the?! Awesome! I've always wanted a ring!"

"You can pick before me Asura." Hime said, giving me a sweet smile.

"...oh...o-okay." I replied and looked at the other two stones carefully. "Then...I choose this one." I grabbed the one in the middle and, just like Blitz's stone, mine shined brightly before turning into a pendent.

"My turn!" Hime said with glee as I asked Blitz for help putting my pendent on. Taking the last stone on the left it turned into a bracelet and she placed it on her right wrist. "It's so pretty!"

"Professor, what do this stones do anyway?" Blitz asked as we checked out our new assets.

"Usually there are two stones needed for the magic to happen but Professor Fuji said that the stones will resonate after you have found your certain someone." Oak stated.

"What does that mean?" Hime looked at him after admiring her new bracelet.

"I'll let you three figure it out yourselves but when the time comes you'll understand. I have to get back to work so you three just enjoy yourselves while you can. Tomorrow you get to go out into the real world." With that he waved his hand goodbye and disappeared back to his lab.

"Now what?" Hime asked as we stood around idly waiting for something to happen. "It's too early for me to go home and besides I don't wanna leave so soon."

"Since we graduated at the exact same time, let's make a team!" Blitz suggested. "I heard that if we're powerful enough, we can challenge the League."

"But I heard the current leaders in charge of the League are super powerful..." I said nervously. "Will we be okay to take them on now?"

"Silly!" Hime chastised me lightly, hitting me lightly with her knuckles. "Like Blitz said, the three of us will stay together and go on awesome adventures." She smirked. "Sounds like fun."

"Then is it a promise?" I asked them.

"It's definitely a promise." Holding out his hand Blitz gazed at us expectantly. "Hands in?"

"Hands in." Hime and I grinned as we placed our hands over his. The winds blew around us as we swore on our friendship that we'd always stick together and become strong enough to challenge the League.

"Wake up!" The rattling of metal jolted me out of my slumber. Groggily lifting my head up from underneath the bed sheets I noticed that there was food outside the cage. "Time for dinner." Soon the door closed and I slowly made my way to pull the food in through the little door of my cage.

_I dreamed that dream again...back when we graduated from Oak's lab...I remember now. We were taken from our teacher's lab during a night raid by a secret organization without him noticing and thrown into crates like livestock. Years pass and now I'm certain that we are being shipped off to another land. _

"Asura don't eat that crap." A voice spoke to my left. "They might have poisoned it."

"We're going to starve to death if we don't do anything Blitz." I replied as I frowned at the crusty loaf of bread. I heard him snort before falling silent. We were around our teenage years and not much has changed besides our appearance. Blitz still had his brown jacket but he now had shaggy teal-colored hair instead of his short cut. Hime's hair grew to the middle of her back but she didn't mind the length. I kept my hair the same style as it was, begging Hime to use Razor Leaf since no one had any scissors on them and having my hair in my eyes was tormenting. While in our captive state, Blitz, Hime and I trained by ourselves with the hope that an opportunity to escape would show itself to us. "On second thought I seemed to have lost my appetite." I set the tray down before releasing a sigh as my stomach growled in protest. "I'm so hungry..."

"Blitz, the time is near." Hime's voice spoke on my right and I watched as she got to her feet from where she sat on her bed. "That was the last guards on duty, there won't be anymore coming." Standing up and wiping the dust off his pants, Blitz nodded his head in agreement.

"Right. Get ready Asura, it's time for us to make our get-away." Taking aim at the cage, he took a deep breath and puff his cheeks up. "Water Gun!" A jet of water flew out of his mouth and hit the metal bars, denting them a bit. "Tch this is what happens when they don't fed us properly. One more time..."

"Stop you're wasting your breath. I got this." I pushed him out of the way. "Ember!" Sparks of fire shot out from between my teeth as I melted the metal cage away. "Piece of cake."

"Perfect, let's go." Taking the lead, Blitz led us down the hallways and we had close encounters with a couple of guards that were off duty. We managed to dodge them by climbing through the air vents. Using his nose, Blitz followed the scent of air until we dropped through the ceiling into the cargo room. "This should be the last room on this air craft." He whispered as Hime and I followed him. "Look for some kind of device that would open that door."

"If I was a button then where would I be?" I asked myself as we split up searching for anything that would help us.

"The prisoners have escaped! All hands engage in battle!" Sirens and red lights flashed all around, making us jump.

"They're already onto us? Those guards don't waste any time it seems." Hime groaned as I ran to her side.

"I found it! It's here!" Smashing the glass box, Blitz pressed the button and the door to the hanger lowered itself down. The gust of wind from the outside was brutal as we were almost swept off our own feet.

"There they are!"

"Don't let them go!" Soon we found ourselves surrounded by our captors, their eyes gleaming through the darkness.

"Sir! They've opened up the hatch!" One of the pilots said as he noticed the little yellow light blinking rapidly. He turned to await orders from his higher-up.

"Close it quickly then! Make sure none of them escape!"

"Yes sir!"

"Oh no! The hanger's starting to close on its own!" I shouted as the hatch slowly rose up in an attempt to box us in. Blitz and Hime were busy tag-teaming and I joined in. But just as we were done with the first wave, a second wave appeared. We were slowly pushed back until we were almost at the edge of the platform. "Damn it! These guys don't even know the meaning of quit!"

"We'll hold them off! These guys are just your local pushovers." Blitz looked at me as he and Hime nodded in agreement. The surrounding Koffing gijinkas and Raticate gijinkas bared their fangs at them.

"That's right!" Hime stood beside him. "Now's your chance to escape!"

"Wh-wh-what are you saying...!? You're joking...right?" I looked at them both, hoping that I heard them wrong. "You said we'll always stay together! You said we'll make it to the Leagues together! Don't tell me you're going back on our promises from back then!"

"Asura..." Hime said softly as she turned to hug me. "you must live." With that she shoved me out of the aircraft, the cold air whizzing past my ears as I stared at them in shock. Blitz gave me his trademark grin while Hime wiped away her tears before turning her back towards me. "We'll meet again someday."

"BLITZ! HIME!" I yelled as I fell into the darkness below.

* * *

_Johto (night time)..._

"Six teens were found murdered on Route 30 this morning." The announcer on the radio reported as a boy sat in his room with his legs propped on the table. "They all seem to have died from severe blows in the head and bloodless. Investigators reported that they were ambushed by local gangs last night. The police are now trying to locate the killers."

Knock. Knock.

"Come in." The boy spoke calmly and the door opened slowly before a kid peeked his head in.

"Um, hi Gabe..." The kid said shyly. He was wearing a blue hat and a blue top with a white circle that looked like a Marill's belly.

"What is it this time, Kyle?" Gabe asked. "Did you make Hayes mad again?"

"N-no!" Kyle stated quickly, "Daniel did it! B-But that's not why I'm here! Some of the other kids wondered into forest just beyond the lab and they haven't returned!"

"Wait...isn't that..." Standing up abruptly, Gabe grabbed his jacket and opened the window. "Kyle stay here. I'll be right back." Jumping out, he hurried off towards the forest with fear in his eyes. _Not good, of all the territories around here they just had to wander into hers...please let nothing happen before I get there. _

"How dare you intrude into my territory." A sinister female's voice drawled as I slid to the ground, hacking out blood.

"Uuuugh...she's fast..." I groaned as I got back to my feet, holding the tree trunk for support. When I came too after my free-fall, it was already dark and I had a sense that I was in uncharted territory, or probably a different region but I wasn't sure. It's a wonder that I was still alive and by the sound of rushing water, the river must have cushioned my fall. Wondering around with my eyesight still hazy, I walked straight into a trap and it was too late for me to run away. A sudden shadow dropped down from above and soon I found myself caught up in a fight.

"Is that all you got? I, Ledia, expected much more of a challenge." I looked up to see a girl step out into the moonlight, her four arms folded across her chest as she glared at me. Her hair was slightly green and she had two white clips on the left side of her head, holding her hair in place. She was also wearing a black and yellow jacket. "You're nothing but a rookie."

"Hey, you bully!" The woman turned to see three kids standing in the clearing with their fists in the air. "Pick on someone your own size!"

_Who are those children?_ I glanced at them out of the corner of my eyes._ I mustn't let them get hurt in this fight...I must protect them. _

"Oh this is too hilarious!" Ledia busted up laughing, clutching her sides to keep from falling over. "You must be embarrassed to have your ass saved by Elm's babies from the lab!" Turning around she summoned her weapons, two knives that were tipped with poison.

"Uhhh..." They stepped back as she stalked towards them with a deadly gleam in her eyes.

"See if you can take this you little kiddies. Poison Fang!" She lunged forward, her eyes flashing murderously.

"Ember!" I intercepted her advance by shooting small flames towards her face. The surprised attack stopped her dead in her tracks and I leaned more heavily against the tree, trying to catch my breath.

"Oh ho! So you do have some talent?" She chortled as she stepped back, a little weary now. "However, that measly attack won't be enough to stop me!"

"Waaaghhh!" I screamed as she slashed at my exposed front with her weapons. In that split second she appeared right in front of me, with speed much greater than I had anticipated. A stinging pain erupted from my chest and I knew immediately that I was poisoned.

"Stay out of the way," She growled, kicking me in the stomach before focusing her attention on the kids. "you almost ruined my feast! Now where was I?"

"S-s-stay...away...from them..." I weakly growled as I tried to get back up but the poison was sapping away my energy and I just laid on the ground in pain. "D-d-don't hurt...a hair...on their...heads..."

"Grrroaaan...you're still talking, why can't you just die already?" She growled, stomping over to where I lay. Pressing my head into the dirt with her foot, she glared at me. "You must be new here so I'll give you some advice. Go home kid, you aren't welcomed here. With your techniques and weak fighting skills as they are, you wouldn't last one minute at the first gym."

_Crap...if I was in my normal condition, I'd totally beat her in seconds! _I narrowed my eyes with frustration. _God damn it!_

"Funny, you could follow your own advice some time. Considering you are roughing up a fallen opponent."

"Huh?!" Ledia looked up at the sound of the foreign voice before being kicked in the face, the weight of her foot on my head was removed.

"Miss Hayes!" The kids cried with smiles on their face as Ledia tumbled back from the force.

"Who the hell-?!" The arachnid growled before looking up to see a girl looming over her, her opponent's red eyes glaring intensively at her. "W-w-who are you?!"

"Your worst nightmare." was the reply.

"Are you kids okay?" The kids turned to see Gabe running up to them.

"Mister Gabe, you're late!" They shouted with excitement. "Miss Hayes just kicked that meanie's butt!"

"Did she now?" Gabe looked up just in time to see Hayes chasing Ledia away.

"And don't ever come back you bitch!" Hayes was yelling before turning her attention to me. "Now what to do about you..." Walking over and squatting down, she noticed the nasty X mark on my chest and realized that it was critical. I was breathing irregularly and sweat was all over my face as I gazed at her with dazed eyes. "Gabe, she's poisoned really badly."

"Really?" Gabe knelt beside her and placed his hand on my forehead. I flinched at his touch but I was too weak to do anything. "Better take her to the lab..."

"She ain't gonna make it." Hayes commented and quickly hoisted me onto her back. "My home is closer and I got some antidotes so I'll take care of her."

"Thanks Hayes." Gabe smiled. "Let's go kids, it's way past your bedtime." After some grunts and whines the kids obeyed and waved goodbye before heading back.

_Man, what got into me lately? Caring for a weakling like her...if she was one of those kids I wouldn't mind... _Hayes frowned as she hurried back to her home. _What does it matter if this girl dies... _"Argh, I must be getting soft."

"...sorry..."

"Huh?" Stopping in the middle of the road, she turned to look at me with a confused look on her face. "What did you say?"

"...sorry...don't...hate me..." I mumbled, trying to fight off the poison with my eyes closed. "...please...don't leave...me..."

_What is this idiot talking about? ...something must have happened in her past but for now, _Hayes shook her head and continued running towards her home. _I need to get rid of the poison. _

* * *

**A/N**: Here's some info about my gijinkas...

**Asura Rhys**

Sex: Female

Age: 17

Ability: Blaze

Nature: Adamant

Good endurance

Lv. 9 Charmander

**Blitz Wolt**

Sex: Male

Age: 18

Ability: Torrent

Nature: Bold

Proud of its power

Lv. 9 Squirtle

**Hime Ava**

Sex: Female

Age: 17

Ability: Overgrow

Nature: Calm

Highly persistent

Lv. 9 Bulbasaur


	2. Chapter 2: Beginning the journey

**A/N**: Chapter 2 of _Fire's Emblem_. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters except my own. You all know the rest.

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**Chapter 2: Beginning the journey**

_Dreamland..._

It was dark. It was cold. I looked around in confusion as the air swirled around me and I wrapped my arms around me to keep warm.

"It's all your fault." Blitz's voice reached my ears and I turned around to see him gaze at me coldly.

"If it weren't for you," I shivered as Hime's voice floated behind me, her ghastly hand felt like ice on my shoulder as her eyes burned holes into the back of my head. "Blitz and I would have escaped as well but instead we decided to safe a baby like you."

"I-I-I didn't want...I didn't..." I looked down as the shadows of my friends started to circle me like hungry predators. "I wished...I wished I could turn back time...back to when we were at Oak's lab...back to when we were living in harmony."

"But that's just a dream right?" Hime cooed. "After all, you were always filled with false hope ever since you were a kid."

"W-what are you saying?" I looked at her. "This isn't like you...the real you wouldn't be this cold hearted..."

"That goes to show..." She huffed, gazing at me coldly. "that we weren't actually close enough to be friends."

"What?!" Now I was feeling angry as I gazed at them through hot tears. "This isn't you! Stop messing with my mind and give me back my real friends!"

"You still don't understand?" Hime looked at me impassively. "How naive."

"Don't even bother wasting your breath...we just came to give you a piece of our minds." Blitz retorted as he pointedly turned his back on me.

"If we were to meet, we'd most likely end up at enemies on the battlefield." Hime shook her head before following him. "Later."

"Wait...don't leave me...don't leave me behind..." I whimpered as I reached out my hand to them, watching them walk away from me; watching them fade into nothingness was wrenching my heart out and it was the most painful thing I had ever experienced. "guys...guys...GUYS!" I screamed, opening my eyes and sat up abruptly, tears pouring down my cheeks. Unfortunately someone was leaning over me so when I sat up we smashed foreheads and so the said person was on the floor, clutching her face.

"Owww...my head..." I whimpered as it throbbed painfully.

"You little shit!" Suddenly a hand shot out, grabbed the front of my shirt and I found myself staring straight into angry red eyes. "What the hell was that for!?" I didn't even bothering answering as I thought back to my nightmare and I just keep my eyes downcast.

"Is that any way of treating our wounded guest?" We turned to see a nice lady standing by the door way, a tray of food in her hand. "Honey, Gabe was calling for you not too long ago so why don't you go see what he wants?"

"Tch." The girl let me go before stomping out the door but not before looking at me with disgust. "Watch yourself." She snapped and left. We could hear her heavy footsteps tromp down the stairs before the slamming of the door followed.

"My my. I wonder where she picked up that attitude from?" The woman laughed before taking a seat next to the bed. "Don't you worry, Hayes is actually really sweet once you get to know her." She handed me a kerchief so that I could wipe away my tears.

_So her name's Hayes. Somehow I got a really dangerous vibe from her._ "Uhm..excuse me ma'am but who are you? And do you know where I am?" I spoke up when she was busy peeling an apple with a knife.

"You can call me Mrs. Frondemen." She smiled as she handed me a slice. Thanking her I took a bite and realized I was actually famished and I ate all that was on the platter. "This is actually the first time we've nursed a fire-type in our house."

"Oh right, since you're all grass-types." I placed my hands over my lap and sighed. "I'm sorry to be a bother."

"That's alright. Imagine my surprise when my daughter came home with you in such a critical condition. Luckily I had antidotes so we managed to patch you up."

"Thank you." I smiled.

"We managed to get rid of the poison completely however..." She shook her head. "there wasn't a way we could get rid of the scar." Slowly getting out of bed, I shuffled to the mirror and lifted up my shirt. Besides the bandages around my chest I noticed the 'X' shaped mark, it was so obvious since it's quite large.

"Well there's nothing else that can be done..." I lowered my shirt and turned to Mrs. Frondemen. "Thanks again for your help but I must get going."

"One sec, you can't go out there without the proper equipment." Gesturing for me to follow her, we ended up in the living room and she disappeared for a few minutes. "Here, you can have this."

"What is that?" I asked as she gave me a dirty old knapsack. It had some sort of fire pattern on it but it was so old that the coloring faded away.

"This belonged to a friend of mine before she left to another region." Mrs. Frondemen smiled as I took a look inside. "Since she's probably not going to be back for awhile I think she'd be happy if I let you have it. I put a potion, an antidote and a burn heal inside just in case you get sick."

"...I...I don't know what to say...thanks so much." I said, wiping away some tears.

"Come here." She drew me close, stroking my hair which calmed me down. "You poor dear..."

_This is almost like how my mom used to treat me..._I snuggled closer as her fingers grazed my scalp. _My...mother... _

_ She's definitely her child..._Mrs. Frondemen's eyebrows furrowed slightly as she continued to calm me down. _Cornelia...I wonder how she's doing..._A slight knock on the door grabbed her attention and I quickly stepped back to wipe away any stray tears. "Come in!"

"I apologize for the intrusion," Gabe stated as he walked in, "but the Professor wants to see her."

"You better go." Mrs. Frondemen said, patting my shoulders as I slung the knapsack over my back. "Be careful out there you hear?" Giving her a soft smile, I followed Gabe out to Professor Elm's lab

* * *

_Professor Elm's Lab..._

"He's in here." Gabe said as he opened the door, weaving me in. The sun had set a little while ago so it was a little dark to see anything."Professor! I have brought our guest." Stepping through the door I looked around at the small lab. Hayes was already sitting with her legs crossed, eyes closed so she didn't bother giving us any indication that she heard us come in. "Hayes...what are you doing?"

"Enjoying my peace and quiet until you came in." She snapped quietly as she lazily opened one eye. "Oh? You brought her along as well."

"Don't be mean, the Professor asked for her." Gabe replied.

"Welcome to my lab!" The three of us looked up to see an old man step forward. "I'm Professor Elm."

"Asura Rhys, pleased to meet you." I introduced myself and we shook hands.

"Hmm? That name sounds familiar..." Elm stroked his beard for a minute. "Didn't Samuel have a former student named Asura...?"

"Maybe..." I laughed nervously. _I shouldn't tell him anything yet...I don't want anyone to know. _

"Well never mind that. I asked Gabe to bring you here to ask you a few questions." Elm stated as he gestured for me to sit down. "I don't want you to feel pressured into answering any of the questions unless you want to. From your clothing you aren't from here, where did you come from?"

"I guess somewhere across the sea..." I replied.

"Hmm...I see." Elm nodded as he jotted some notes down on a notepad. "Do you remember anything about your parents?" That was a very sensitive subject and I looked at the floor in silence. "...is this question too much into your personal life?"

"...I actually...don't remember..." I buried my head in my hands. "It's been a long time since I've saw them..."

"What was the last thing you remember?" Elm asked me.

"I was someplace dark...there was this sound, like...the roar of a plane's engine..." I closed my eyes as I tried to forget that horrible experience. "I was in a cage...and then I got out before being surrounded by...grunts..."

"That sounds like some delusional crap." Hayes spoke up, looking annoyed. "Professor, you are probably wasting your time interrogating this whelp."

"Hush child." Professor Elm sent her a glance before turning to me. "Do you remember what those grunts looked like?"

"They...they were wearing black suits and on their clothing...there was a giant red 'R'." I told him.

"Ha! They sound like total push-overs." Hayes huffed, folding her arms across her chest. I looked up to see that her foot was nervously tapping against the floor and she was biting her lip, a grin appearing on my face.

"What? You scared?" I smirked in her direction. "You're the last person I'd imagine running away with your tail between your legs."

"You bitch! Don't you look down on me because you have a type-advantage over me!" Hayes growled and lashed out at me with a left hook. Her sudden attack caught me unaware and my head snapped to the side as her fist slammed into me. Crashing against Elm's desk and knocking some things over, I hopped back up before tackling her to the ground.

"Calm down Hayes! Why do you always have to pick fights with everyone you hate?!" Gabe snapped as he tried to get in between us, leaping out of the way as we tumbled past him fighting tooth and nail. Finally breaking apart, she tried to smack me in the face with another left-hook.

"Hey! No rough housing!" Elm yelled as I narrowly dodged it in time and her fist gently brushed against my necklace by accident causing the stone to shine like crazy.

"Waaah!" I screamed the bright light blinded all of us. Stumbling around till I reached the entrance, I threw my body against it and rushed out, not caring where I went as long as it wasn't the lab. I took off running blindly away from the lab and disappeared into the darkness.

"Uuuugh! What the hell happened? ...What the hell is this?!" Hayes glared at her left arm in confusion. Hidden underneath the bandages that were wrapped around her arm was a weird mark. "This mark..."

"Hayes, what's wrong?" Elm asked as he shook his head to get rid of some of the dark spots that appeared in his field vision. "Damn spots..."

"N-n-nothing!?" She spoke hastily as she re-wrapped her arm, putting it behind her back. "...it's nothing."_ It's the same mark on that brat's stone...I have to investigate this a little more. _

"She's gone Professor!" Gabe said as he indicated the open doors.

"It's too dark for us to try and find her. We'll go and find her tomorrow morning." Elm shook his head. "I'm worried about her safety."

"She can take care of herself." Hayes huffed. "I'm going home." Racing out, she got home in 20 minutes, bolting up the steps and shutting the door quietly to not wake up her parents. Grabbing a bag she threw in some clothes, potions and money. Scribbling a quick note for her parents to read she slipped out into the night, closing the door behind her softly. The cold air swirled around her as she trekked to the beginning of the route that would eventually lead her to the next town.

"Where do you think you're going?" Hayes paused mid-step before glancing over her shoulder to see Gabe leaning against a lamp post. He looked at the backpack near her feet and frowned. "You're planning on going after that girl aren't you? You know Professor would be disappointed if you started your journey without his permission. What are you up to, Hayes?"

"What does it matter to you?" She asked. "You want me to sit around and do nothing? Fuck that." _I better not tell him about that mark on my arm, it's too dangerous for him to know. _"There's something I still have to learn from her so I can't let her get away from me."

"Hayes, you're playing a dangerous game..." Gabe warned. "Don't forget that the Professor is here and promised us that we'd go look for her tomorrow morn-"

"Tell the old man I'm going after her." Hayes cut in before shouldering her bag. "I'm starting my journey without his help."

"...very well..." Walking up to his friend, he pulled her in for a hug. That gesture threw Hayes off and she awkwardly patted his back. "I'll stay here and wish you the best of luck."

"If it would make you feel better, I'll keep an eye on her." The two of them turned to see another step out into the light. He had dark hair with little blue highlights, a leather jacket over a black tank and jeans.

"Erik. Wouldn't Annie be worried if you're gone?" Gabe asked, referring to Erik's younger sister.

"She told me to look after Hayes, to make sure she doesn't do anything stupid." Erik laughed before wincing as the girl in question punched him hard in the arm. "Oww. Don't hit so hard you know how fragile Zubats are."

"Let's go you pansy." She huffed as she waved her friend goodbye. "Bye Gabe, I'll see you later." The man smiled as he watched his friends walk away.

* * *

_Dawn..._

The sound of birds chirping woke me up and I realized that I ended up sleeping in one of the trees away from the lab.

_Crap...I gotta stop running when my head hurts. _I sat up and stretched every limb that could possibly stretched before looking around for my knapsack which was laying at the foot of the tree. _Jeez how did that end up down there? Anyways judging from the sun it's already dawn. I should probably start my day by going to the next city...the only problem is figuring out how to get there... _

"You new to the Johto region? Where did ya come from?" I looked up to see someone in the tree with me, looking at me curiously. She was a girl with brown and white colored hair, a white T-shirt and brown shorts. There were two black marks on her cheeks and a small yellow bandana was wrapped around her neck. "You don't look like a flying type...Orange colored clothing..Fire type? Hmm..."

"I'm from Kanto." I replied before scaling down the tree trunk to where my bag was. Tree climbing wasn't my strong suit but I still got down in one piece. "Oh good, nothing's broken."

"Wait, wait, wait." The girl leaped down, flapping her wings till she landed beside me. I watched as the wings disappeared, my eyebrows raised intrigued by that stunt. "You seem to not be one of your run-of-mill average girl, I'm curious why you ended up here in Johto. Also it's quite rude to leave in the middle of a conversation."

"That's great kid, but putting your beak in other people's business might not be a good idea." I replied, shouldering my pack. "Now if you would excuse me..."

"I bet you don't even know where you're going!" The kid snickered as I froze for a minute; she got me good there and my expression told her that she was correct. "Pffffhahahaha, dork!"

"Zip it kid! Or I'll burn that smug grin off your face!" I snapped, feeling the flames flash out from between my teeth.

"I have a name you know and it's Skyla Aderyn so quit calling me kid! I'm 17 years of age for your information!" She yelled back at me as I tried to get my bearings right. Turning my nose up I walked off before she could talk my ears off. Sensing my presence leaving she quickly scrambled head over heels trying to keep up with me. "Would you slow down? Since this forest is like my own playground I could be your tour guide! And besides you don't have to tell me anything you don't want to but would you tell me what flock you're from? "

"Flock?" Intrigued by that term, I turned around and waited for her to catch up so that she could explain it to me.

"I can't tell what ya are. Arcanine? Rapidash? Houndoom? You are a fire-type right?" She grinned,

"Yeah, why?" I looked at her confused. _Is my outfit not giving her much of a clue? _

"It's nice to have a team with gijinkas that are from different groups. Balance." She lectured me. "I'm from the dual-blooded Pidgeot flock because I'm from the normal and flying groups. I'm a Pidgey gal!"

_So basically there are pure-blooded and dual-blooded gijinkas. Pure blood gijinkas are from one group while dual blood gijinkas are from two. _I nodded in understanding as she continued talking about things I learned from Oak's lab.

"Now check this out, depending on your flock and group, you can use pretty cool battle abilities and stuff. And there might be bonuses as well!" She grinned as she unleashed her brown and pale wings from her back. "This wings are my pride and joy! There are groups that are extremely powerful, members that can change twice instead of one."

"Based on your lecture you could say I'm from the Charizard Clan..."

"It's flock." She said, attempting to correct me but I ignored her.

"Clan...anyways we are capable of evolving twice."

"WHAT THE WHAT!?" She screeched loudly after a moment of silence so I had to cover my ears before I turned deaf. "CHARIZARD?! WOAAH!"

"Do you know something about my ?" I asked but she quickly said no.

"Which means you're from those super-special-cool-but-uncommon-flocks. No wonder I don't see your kind around! Y'all are from Kanto! It'll be hella awesome to have someone like you on a team! I bet you're really strong."

_A team huh? _I frowned as I placed a hand over my necklace, moving past her to cover some ground before I ended up wasting time standing in the sun. _Sure brings back some memories...painful ones. _"Sorry, but please don't use the term 'team' so lightly." Soon we came upon a clearing where there were a bunch of gijinkas battling one another, the air filled with yells and attacks. "What's going on?"

"Hmmm? Oh!" Skyla looked over with excitement. "They're peeps who are gonna take the League challenge! This is a hotspot for challengers to fight against others to train and to make comrades for teams. Since the League challenge is an all-year thing, this place is an active training ground for beginners."

"So you purposely lead me here just to fight?" I looked at her as she grinned.

"They'll be great opponents since they're just rowdy beginners. No hard feelings if there are some broken bones."

"Fiiine..." _Jesus, let's hope this doesn't take too long._ I inwardly groaned as we made our way down. As soon as we walked up to the group we were challenged by foes left and right.

"Haahaa!" Skyla laughed as she weaved in and out, throwing punches and kicks at her opponents. "This is just my daily warm-up, I haven't gotten serious yet! I know you guys have a lot more to offer!"

_It seems like she's having a lot of fun. _I frowned as I watched her fight. "C'mon you two." I looked at my opponents who were breathing heavily during our match. "I'm ready for your final attacks. Don't hold back."

"If that's what you want, then I shall deliver!" A Pidgey gijinka stated irritably as he moved in, his fists raised.

"Ember!" I showered him with sparks of fire from my mouth, which caused the girl to step back since she was a Spinarak gijinka and she didn't want to get burned.

"Ah! Ah! Ah! Hot hot hot hot!" He whined as he tumbled back, trying to get some of the embers out of his eyes. The girl made her move, all four arms outstretched and covered with poison tips. Thinking back to when I faced Ledia, I knew that I would be in some deep shit if I got poisoned...again. Jumping up, I twisted my body around and landed a deadly heel drop to her head, smacking her to the ground.

"Uh, are you to okay?" I asked, extending my hand to my downed opponent. She smiled slightly as she held my hand and I helped her to her feet.

"Thanks for the battle, mate! We stood no chance." The boy said as I handed him a Burn heal from my bag to treat his wound. "Oh thank you."

"Sorry for burning you." I apologized as he applied the item to his wound.

"You gotta teach me some of your moves sometime." The girl smiled, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "Don't worry about giving me a bruise or what not, I'll get you back someday." Rummaging around in her pocket she pulled out a piece of paper and started to scribble on it, "the name's Jain Pace and because you beat me in a match, here's my number."

"Huh? Number?" I gave her a questioning look as she handed me the piece of paper.

"It's nice to make connections, ya know? Especially during these times." She patted me lightly on the head. "So call me if you need help or anything!"

"Thank you, I guess?" I replied as I looked at the paper.

"Try not to call too much, okay?" She grinned, walking away with the boy next to her, apparently they were dating because he was her boyfriend. "Later, gator."

"...uh bye." I waved hesitantly before noticing that Skyla was giving me a stupid grin. "What are you grinning about?"

"Oh, nothing." She replied in a sing song voice, skipping in front of me.

"You are a little too happy for my taste." I stated as I followed behind her.

"Don't be such a downer, I know something that'll cheer you up. Look!" She pointed to something beyond the treeline. "As you may or may not have noticed, we're on Route 31 right now. Violet City is just past those trees. That tall tower over there is the Sprout tower. I heard that we might get a cool gift if we manage to get to the top. That reminds me..." She gazed at me with a serious expression on her face. "Who taught you how to fight like that? Spewing fire out of your mouth and all?"

"My protectors taught me." I replied. "We lived in the mountain regions away from others but I still managed to go to my professor's classes."

"Protectors? As in guardians and parents?" She tilted her head in question.

"To be honest though, I only met my parents once in my life. I don't think I have any family members that are still around today. I was taken from where I was from at a young age."

"Ah, so you're kinda like me..." Skyla muttered as she gazed at the ground. "I was abandoned while I was young but nearby communities decided to take me under their wings. There were hints that my parents are still alive somewhere in the world but I haven't been able to search for them on my own since it's a giant world out there."

"Hey Skyla, let's try to make a team...together." _What the hell am I saying?_ My mind was shouting as my mouth spewed words faster than I realized. She gave me a blank look before busting up laughing.

"Oh you!" She snickered, waving her arms around like it was having a spasm. "Stop teasing otherwise you'll hurt my feelings."

"I'm completely serious." I replied, "Obviously you helped me out even when I didn't feel like I needed any and so it would be rude of me not to do something in return...When I first arrived I tried to figure out how to move forward on my own and apparently it's not working as well as I had hoped. According to the rules you have to beat 8 specific people and beat the champions in the 'League challenge.' It's pretty dangerous and you're willing to take it on, putting your life on the line."

"What are you saying?" She asked me.

"Buy me a phone and help me get to the Leagues. In return I'll be your teammate and after all this is done, I'll help you search for your parents. Promise. Is that okay with you?"

"Of course it's okay." She smiled, pulled me into a hug and ruffled my hair much to my disgust. "You're my new best friend now."

"Right right! Let's get a move on!" I weaseled out of her grip and slung her bag over my shoulder. "While the sun's still hot, I want to get to a center before I faint from the battles."

"I hear ya, I'm just as tired! Alright lead the way Leader." She gave me a small salute and we continued on our way to Violet City.

* * *

_Somewhere else..._

"What a rare treat I have in my possession." A man in a black tuxedo sneered as he gazed at the items on his desk, one was a ring and the other a bracelet. His black hair was combed back and he had giant pointy ears much like a Nidoking's. "But why is it that I'm not fully content with just these two?" Glaring, he whirled around to the grunts who stood before him. "Grunt 15! Grunt 34! Come here!"

"Sir!" Two grunts from the back of the ranks spoke simultaneously, moving forward to stand before their boss. "You wished to see us?"

"Where is the third stone?" The man snarled.

"We don't know Giovanni sir." Grunt 34 replied.

"Why do you not know?" Giovanni asked as he sat in his chair.

"We lost contact with the third holder." Grunt 15 spoke. "After all, we were the ones..."

"Of course I know what you did!" Giovanni slammed his fist on the desk, the table creaking after taking the abuse. "Don't talk to me in that tone of voice, just be glad I allowed you to live!"

"If you wish, we'll go and hunt that stone for you." Grunt 34 offered.

"...Very well..." Giovanni mused, "Take these and get going."

"Thank you sir!" The grunts said, grabbed their items and left the room.

* * *

**A/N**: I should probably introduce the (main) gijinkas here...

**Asura Rhys**

Sex: Female

Ability: Blaze

Nature: Adamant

Good endurance

LV. 14 Charmander.

**Skyla Aderyn**

Sex: Female

Ability: Keen Eye

Nature: Bold

Scatters things around

LV. 7 Pidgey


	3. Chapter 3: Zephyr Badge

**A/N**: Chapter 3 of _Fire's Emblem_. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters except my own. You all know the rest.

* * *

**Chapter 3: Zephyr Badge**

_Violet City..._

By the time we made it out of the forest, the sun was half-way over the horizon and splashed the buildings with a breathtaking fire color. I looked around in amazement as other gijinkas scurried by, minding their own business.

"Welcome to the city of nostalgic scents!" Skyla grinned as we walked together. "So whatcha think?"

"Very...lively." I stated after thinking it over. "I don't think I've been to a city quite like this."

"Isn't it wonderful?" She inwardly squealed with delight. "Oh hang on just a minute!" Dashing off before I could say anything, she disappeared into a store. Not even bothering to yell after her, I sat down and waited patiently instead.

"Asura!" I looked up to see my friend running back to me, a grin on her face. I kind of dozed off while waiting and quickly wiped the saliva off my chin.

"How in the world did you take so long?" I asked, standing up to greet her. "It's been almost an hour since you went into that shop."

"Well...you did ask for a phone and there were a bunch of varieties and sizes so of course I would take a long time to choose one. Anyways I found the perfect one for you!" She held out a little parcel from behind her back, waiting for me to take it. "Ta da! It's the latest technology called the Pokemon Gear or PokeGear for short. It has so many different features but since I guess you aren't tech savvy I asked the kind sales owner to just give me the basics."

_Tech savvy my ass. _I frowned before placing the object on my left wrist and fumbled through the instructions. _Hmm...this is a lot more difficult than I thought it would be...Aha! Got it! I'm such a genius...now to input some phone numbers..._

"The basic gear has a phone chip and a map of the region. It's all we actually need for our journey." Skyla puffed out her chest with pride. "Of course you can upgrade if needed."

"What a lovely gift, thanks so much." I smiled. "Where are we headed to next?"

"Hmm...since we might as well stay in town for awhile I suggest we go and check out the Sprout Tower." She pointed to the building overshadowing the rest of the city. "I know someone there who'd be willing to let us stay for a few days. But then again..." She held up what looked like a fisherman's rod. "some merchant from down the street gave me this free Old Rod so maybe you should go and snag a new member for our team in a nearby lake."

"Very well." I said and took the tool from her hand. "Mind you, it might take me awhile to get anything."

"No worries." Skyla smiled. "I'll be waiting in front of the Sprout tower...oh! Before I forget..." Slipping something off her wrist she held her hand out to me. "A nice gentleman gave this to me, said it was an Exp Share or something like that. You might find it helpful."

"You seem to be attracting a lot of attention here if you're getting useful items." I mumbled, putting the item in my bag.

"That's not all. He even threw in one of those badge containers." She held up a small box and opened it up. Inside there were 8 empty slots, each slot were shaped differently. "Isn't this neat?"

"Very. Honestly how do you get these items?" I raised an eyebrow at her.

"That's for me to know and you to...never know. Have fun fishing!" She grinned and hurried away.

_Cheapskate._ I lumbered off to the lake, which wasn't too far and sat down, attaching a piece of bait on a hook. Throwing the line in I waited for something to pull on it. At least this time it didn't take long before I felt a tug.

"Caught one!" I pulled the rod and landed a new teammate who didn't look really thrilled. She had light blue hair that reached the middle of her back and angry azure eyes. "Uhhh..."

"What?" She snapped, growling at me. "Never seen a naked person before?"

"Why are you naked to begin with?"

"That's none of your business." She huffed. "Now be a dear and grab my clothes from behind those rocks. Wait! Get this hook out of my shoulder first before I bleed to death!"

"Sorry about that." I quickly took the hook out and wrapped bandages over her wound. Shuffling over to where the rocks were, I grabbed the article of clothing and handed it to her before turning my back so that she could change in private. "Why are you being bashful? We're both girls here." She asked, glancing at my back side.

"I-i-it's not because of that..." I replied hastily. "I just feel like giving you a sense of privacy."

"Hmmm...acting like a gentleman I see...Okay I'm done." Turning around I saw that she was wearing a red jacket and a white skirt. On the back of the jacket there was some yellow spikes that probably represented her fins. "Honestly, wearing clothes feels weird after a swim but I guess it can't be helped after being caught by a stranger. You are a strange one."

_This girl..._I frowned as I put my equipment away. "Do you...have a name I could call you by?"

"It's Felina...Felina Koloss."

"...I see." Scratching the back of my head I fumbled for what to say next and I must have amused her somehow cause she started to smirk.

"You're not very good at having conversations huh?" She laughed. "Lame-o!"

_She's starting to piss me off._ "Here." I held out the Exp Share for her to take, gritting my teeth together. "I wanted to give you this."

"What are you implying? That I'm useless? Weak?" She narrowed her eyes dangerously as she allowed me to attach it to her left forearm.

"No, I'm just saying that it'll benefit you greatly if you hold this item." I chose my words carefully since I could feel a killing vibe from her.

"When I evolve, you're gonna be the first one I drown." She seethed as she followed me through town. I shuddered at the thought because I knew I was in deep trouble since I was a fire type. While we were walking I couldn't help but feel like someone has their eyes on me and as I looked around I didn't see anyone.

_Strange...was it her that I felt?_ I wondered as my eyes found a lady wearing a black kimono with yellow rings on it. Her hair was a little different from the rest but she was busy looking at a building to be paying any attention to me.

"Hey. Are we going or not?" Felina asked, making me shift my gaze toward her. "Quit staring like an ass and let's go. I'm getting tired of standing in one place."

"Okay we're going, just give me a moment." I turned back but realized that the woman disappeared. _Odd, I know she was right there...never mind then._ Shaking my head, I took the lead once more and never looked back. We made it to the tower and I noticed that Skyla was perched in a tree, arms folded behind her head in a relaxed manner.

"Oh! You finally caught a new friend." She noticed our arrival and hopped over, extending her hand in greeting. "Nice to meet you, I'm Skyla Aderyn."

"Felina Koloss." Felina replied and they shook hands.

"Since we're all here, let's go up that tower." When we walked in, we saw a bunch of tourist as well. It wasn't terribly crowded since it was probably a weekend visit; well that and someone earlier rushed out screaming ghosts. "Umm...guys, I have a weird feeling about this place. Let's go back.."

"What?" Skyla gave me a smirk as she tried to act all creepy and weird. "Ya scared?"

"Who knew our leader was actually a wuss?" Felina scoffed. "Hmm? An empty hallway?" The three of us looked at the long tunnel that lead into darkness and I shivered.

"Let's keep going!"

"Since there's nothing else to do..."

"Are you two nuts?!" I snapped at them as they trotted ahead of me. Whimpering underneath my own breath I followed them for fear of being left behind. As we continued walking, one of the torches flickered purple and soon the other two started to see things that I couldn't.

"What's wrong?" I asked them when they just stopped walking.

"O-oh, it's nothing." They turned to me and laughed before it got stuck in their throats."A-Asura, G-Gh..." The two of them were spluttering with scared looks on their faces.

"Come again?" I asked, oblivious to the floating purple gas next to me.

"Behind you!" They screamed. Turning to the side I came face to face with a Gastly, its mouth opened wide to show some razor sharp teeth. There was a moment of silence before we were all screaming Bloody Mary and all of the torches in the hallway flickered out sending us into darkness.

"Ku ku ku!" The Gastly laughed as it chased us with its tongue lolling out.

"God damn it!" I skidded to a halt and turned to face it. "Stop chasing us! Take my Ember attack!" Flames leaped out from my mouth and the Pokemon disappeared immediately, frightened off by the light.

"Looks like our leader has some backbone after all." Felina stated as she and Skyla came back to my side.

"Skyla..." I turned my piercing gaze at her, an angry vein throbbing on my head. "Lead us to the top. No more funny business."

"Y-y-yes...right this way." She mumbled as she took over. We got jumped by a couple of shady characters who were in the middle of their training but because I was so paranoid I toasted them all with my Ember without a second thought.

"Almost gave me a damn heart attack..." I growled as my teammates were busy apologizing.

"Heavens, what is going on down here?!" We turned to see an elderly man flanked by two monks wearing green robes. "Aderyn?! Is that you?"

"Oh wassup, Master!" Skyla chirped excitedly. "Elder Li!"

"You scoundrel!" The old man screeched, multiple tick marks popping over his head. "Don't you 'Wassup' me! Slipping out of the tower on your own and not coming back for five years and all you have to say is 'Wassup?!' You bird-brain fool!"

"Elder, please calm down." The monks tried their best to calm him down before he suffer a stroke from yelling so much.

"Elder, I'm in a team now with Asura and Felina!" Skyla turned to point at us in turn. "We're gonna take the League challenge!"

"What." The man looked a little perplexed. "...Skyla Aderyn, are you grabbing innocent people and forcing them to join your 'team'?!"

"Actually sir, I asked her to join me." I stepped forward.

"So you're Asura, eh? Does that make you the leader since you have asked two ladies to join your team?" He looked at me with a very serious look. "Are you ready to face the League?"

"To be honest, I don't think I'm prepared enough...I imagine tough battles ahead of us but I gotta try. There are two people waiting for me."

"A true leader should always be honest, regardless of the situation. When are you willing to battle? The first gym leader is in this city." Elder Li reminded me.

"...three days is probably a good enough estimate. Is that alright with you two?" I glanced at them and they responded positively.

"Then it's settled. You may rest and train here in the tower until your battle. I will contact the Violet City gym leader and schedule your fight."

"Thank you, sir!" We bowed.

"There's no way in hell that we'll lose this first fight!" Skyla grinned. "Hey, let's go train with Elder Li's students! I'll introduce you to them!"

"Sounds like fun. Come on Felina, time for training!" I snapped as I noticed that she was leaning against the wall with a bored expression on her face. Mumbling something incoherent she followed us in the end.

"Do you think they'll be fine?" One of the monks asked.

"Ah yes, they'll be fine." the elder replied. "I have full faith in them." The training was a success as the students excitedly gave us tips and training lessons. We also had mocked battles which were both fun and exhausting.

"Siiiigh, what a day." I yawned as I face-planted the mattress of the bed I would be sleeping in for the night, purring as the softness brushed my cheeks. "But first, gotta read this thing Skyla got for me." Rolling over I held up a sheet of paper that had a lot of scribbled notes on it. "Groaaaaan, this essay's too long! Is it mandatory to read all of this...?" As I read through, it ended up not being as dramatic as I made it out to be. Basically the team must battle the eight powerful gym leaders in the desired region and collect their badges. Once eight badges are collected, we become eligible to fight the Elite four and champion of the region. The Elite four is a powerful group of four of the region's strongest battlers, and there is an Elite four in every region that sponsors the League challenge.

Knock. Knock.

"Come in." I said, not looking up from where I was.

"How's the reading coming along?" Skyla asked as she brought me a tray of food. "The elder made this for us so eat while you can."

"Thanks. You can set it on the table." I replied. She obeyed before leaving, shutting the door quietly. Once I could no longer hear her footsteps I placed the paper on the bed and sighed. "Easier said than done...I must get stronger if I have any hopes of defeating all of the battlers. This is getting troublesome." Scratching my head I noticed a piece of red hair stuck between my fingers, must've pulled it out by accident. "What the...red hair?"

* * *

_Outside..._

"Oh my god you're so adorable and fluffy!" Skyla cooed as she held a tiny Hoothoot in her hand.

"Who told you that you could hold the sacred fledgling?!" Elder Li snapped as he was busy cleaning one of the Bellsprout statues.

"Aw don't be like that, Elder." Skyla puckered up her lips in response. "She likes me. Right, Kiku?"

"You gave her a name?!" He snapped as the tiny bird chirped in response. "Hmm...it seems we have some visitors." He turned to greet them, a girl with long green hair tied in a single pony tail and a young man with a hoodie over his head. "How may I help you?"

"Have you seen an orange haired girl around here?" Hayes asked. "She goes by the name 'Asura.'"

"Hmm.." the Elder stroked his beard before shaking his head. "No I haven't seen her around this tower. Why do you ask?"

"She's an acquaintance of mine."

"Hm..." Elder Li thought for a minute before replying. "I'm afraid I haven't. I will tell you if I see her around."

"I see...thanks." Hayes said.

"Hey wait a sec." Erik stated quickly as he pointed a finger in Skyla's direction. "I saw her with the orange head hours ago while I was searching by air. They're apparently teammates."

"Teammate, eh?" Hayes mused. "Is that so..." The girls silently stared at one another with hostile glares. Even the Hoothoot let its own angry hoot out.

"Hahaha, I'm really confused right now?" Skyla laughed suddenly. "Teammate with who and for what? Orange hair? Is she a fire-type? Why would I hang out with fire types? They piss me off so much with their rash decisions and terrible attitudes!"

"This conversation is getting us nowhere." Hayes stated as she turned around. "Sorry for being a bother this late."

"Hayes, where are you going?" Erik asked.

"Next time, try bringing her to me instead. I have a gym to defeat so don't waste my time with the little things. Let's go." With a huff, the two of them left.

"Hey Elder Li, why did you lie about Asura?" Skyla asked once they were alone.

"It's all in the eyes, Skyla. You noticed them too, right?" Her master glanced at her with his beady red eyes. "She was lying."

"...right."

* * *

_The next morning..._

The sun just peaked over the horizon and Skyla was perched on the roof of the tower gazing out towards it. Lost in thought she replayed with the elder had said last night before making her final decision. Looking down she noticed that I was standing near the entrance with my bag next to my feet, I was checking my supplies one last time just in case I needed to stop by the mart to buy a few items.

"Kukuku~" Getting an awesome idea in her head, Skyla unfurled her wings and silently took to the skies, eying me like a piece of meat.

_What is this feeling I'm feeling? It's like warning me that I'm about to die..._Sensing something large coming at me from above I turned around just to have Skyla headbutt me; the impact was so great that it swept me off my feet and we crashed to the ground. Groaning I felt pain tingling up my back as weight suddenly dropped down on my stomach, letting all of the air rush out of my lungs.

"Good morning grump! You ready for the gym battle?" She asked as she sat on me, gazing at me with her giant doe eyes.

_How the hell did we end up being friends? _"Geroff me." I wheezed. "Also to answer your question, I wanted to train a bit more..."

"Oh my god...your hair..." Skyla chuckled at the sight of my different colored hair. "The side effects of evolving...interesting."

"Don't you two think..." We turned to see Felina look at us with this sour expression on her face. "...it's too early in the morning for that sort of activity?"

"Awww, you jealous?" Skyla smirked, taunting her.

"Why would I? The leader isn't my type and I don't swing that way." Felina countered. "Now do you two fools have your trainer card? They won't let you in the gym if don't have it."

"Is that what this is for?" I shoved Skyla off of me and pulled mine out. Mine was taken by Oak before we were taken away so I wasn't sure if I have to update it.

"Let's get going then. Yours might need to be updated." Felina stated since she saw how old it was.

"Well...that settles that." I got to my feet before cringing. "My back!" A quick stop at the Pokemon Center solved everything and I had my card updated. Soon we were at the gym and after scanning our cards, we were allowed to enter. It was a very spacious place and the lights were quite blinding.

"Welcome challengers!" We looked up to see a guy with blue hair and yellow goggles standing above us. From his back sprouted two beautiful brown wings and he had a sash tied around his waist that looked like Pidgeotto feathers. "I'm Faulkner."

"Today we have the challengers Asura and Skyla battling Violet City's Falkner and Storm!" The referee said as we got into position. "The challenging team is not allowed to use healing items during the battle and they must have the same number of teammates as the gym leader."

"Good luck." Felina whispered as she watched in the watch box. Since she didn't feel like fighting yet she opted out and decided to cheer from the sidelines.

"This will be a single battle, not double. However, the challengers may switch places whenever they please. Teams, choice your first partner."

"Let's see what they're made of. Storm, you go first." Falkner spoke.

"Alright!" His young apprentice, a boy that looked a lot like Skyla stepped forward with a grin. "Who wants to fight me?"

"Stay back Asura, this match is mine." Skyla stated confidently as she stood on the field.

_Damn it that means I have to fight Falkner myself..._I inwardly groaned.

"Alright guys, let's make this a clean and friendly fight. Begin!" The referee said and the fight began in a flurry of wings. I concentrated on the fight and noticed that the three days worth of training was definitely a great idea. Skyla was getting a little advantage thanks to her speed.

"Not bad!" She said as she smirked at her opponent. "But I'm ending this match."

"Huh?!" Storm blinked before realizing that she used her speed to get behind him and tackled him to the ground, knocking him out.

"Well that was interesting. Storm is unable to battle! Victory goes to Skyla!" The referee announced.

"You fought well. You okay, man?" Faulkner asked as Storm hobbled back.

"Y-yeah." The boy smiled as he rubbed his back. "Be careful, these guys aren't amateurs in combat."

"Hell yes I'm the best." Skyla smiled as she wrapped an arm around my neck. "I'm counting on ya to win against the leader."

"Yeah...I can't wait to fight." I replied sarcastically as I stepped forward._ If I die, I won't be able to meet them...I can't afford to lose. _

"What an unpredictable move..." Felina released a sigh of relief. _I wonder, if a gym leader's strength is limited when they battle challengers, are their teammates restricted as well? _

"Hello there." A voice interrupted her thoughts and she turned to see a man approaching her. He had short white hair and a black muscle shirt. A black and yellow jacket was tied around his waist and he had a tattoo on his neck. "Are your friends battling down there?"

"Who are you?" Felina asked.

"Oh, pardon my rudeness. I'm Silva Suzuki." The man bowed.

"Felina Koloss." The girl replied.

"Nice to meet you. Judging on your look, you must be a water type..." He quickly stepped a little to his left to give her some space. "I apologize if my presence is making you uncomfortable."

"It's okay, I'm fine really." She said quickly before looking back out to the field. "Oooh! The final battle is here!"

I stood silently as Falkner faced me, his wings flexed as if he was trying to intimidate me.

"Battler's ready? Begin!"

"Let's see what you got!" Falkner smirked as he flew at me.

_He's fast!_ I blinked and rolled to the right just in time. As he turned around for another rush I braced myself before landing a spinning jump kick straight to the face.

"Come on..." He grinned, grabbing my leg so I wouldn't escape. "is that all you can do?!" With lightning fast punches he got in a couple of good ones as I felt bruises forming from the areas he managed to connect with.

"Ugh!" I glared angrily, somersaulting backwards to create some distance between us.

"Let's start this over again. Come at me with your best shot, kiddo!" Falkner smirked as he used Roost, healing the wounds he received from me till he was healthy again.

"Quit spamming Roost damn it!" I yelled at him as I utilized the time I had to catch my breath.

"Ha! Is that complaining I hear?" He teased me. "The loser dogs always tend to bark the loudest."

_How annoying..._"If that's the way you're playing, fine then." Taking in a huge breath, I concentrated all the power I had in the pit of my stomach before puffing up my cheeks. "Ember!" I unleashed a steady stream of sparks at my opponent.

"Hmph." Falkner smirked as he blocked my attack, his arms marked red from where I hit him. "You gotta have more fire power than that." He taunted as he used Roost...again.

"You bastard!" I stomped my foot in anger.

"Go Asura! I believe in ya! You can do it!" Skyla cheered, her wounds already patched up and she seemed to be in high spirits.

"Do what exactly?!" I turned to her in fury. "I can't do a damn thing because he keeps spamming Roost!"

"Ah...then kick him in the package." Skyla chuckled at the thought. "He won't be able to heal from that."

"Hell no!" I retorted, ignoring that idea.

"You know..." Storm spoke up from the side lines with a pack of ice in his hand. "Falkner may have a good reason for using 'Roost.' He may be looking at your friend's skills. Maybe he finds her interesting..."

"Or maybe he's just trolling the poor lass." The referee said.

"...yeah you know what screw what I said." Storm nodded in agreement as he placed the pack of ice to his forehead. "That's probably it."

"Alright, I'll stop healing myself." Falkner said, the grin still on his face. "Heh, maybe that will pace things up!"

"Don't you know that it's unhealthy if you rush things?" I quipped but I knew my strength is slowly draining away. _Luckily I had a few tricks up my sleeve..._ Holding out both my hands I conquered up two knife-shaped flames. "Fire Fang."

"Wait...weapons in a gym battle?" Felina frowned at the flame knives I held.

"If Falkner is allowed to Roost spam, then the kid is allowed to stab shit!" Silva chuckled. I rushed forward and started to swing away, Falkner dodging or blocking my attack at the expense of being burned and bleeding.

"Not bad!" He smiled as he dodged a jab aimed at his head. "Let's see if you can take this! Gust!' Flapping his wings, he created a tornado of wind that blew away my knives. I tumbled back and pinned myself to the ground as the wind continued blowing. "Too slow!" Suddenly my Blaze ability activated and I pulled my right hand back into a fist. Fire slowly swirled around my fist and literally set it on fire.

"ROOOOAR! Fire Punch!" I smashed my flamed fist right into his face, sending him flying into the wall with a bang. Breathing heavily I waited anxiously for the dust and smoke to die down and once it did, it revealed a defeated Falkner. The referee's arm rose up as a signal that it was over.

"The Violet City gym mach is over! The challengers win!"

"We...We won! We did it!" Skyla cheered, catching my attention. "The way you beat the gym leader was so cool! You were awesome, Asura!" Stumbling over to her, I collapsed into her arms, catching my breath from over using my energy. "You okay?"

"L-L-Let me...r-rest...a bit..." I wheezed.

"That was amazing!" We turned to see Felina rushing up to greet us. "That match was really exciting to watch."

"It seems that you are exhausted not only from the battle but also from 'evolution.'" A man appeared behind her.

"Oh, this is Silva Suzuki. I just met him during your match." Felina introduced us.

"Like I was saying, the process of evolution depends on the person. I'm guessing you got the long-ass painful kind. Sucks to suck. Anyways, we better take you to the center to heal up."

"Before you do, I have a little reward for you. Here's your reward for beating us, the Zephyr badge." Falkner placed the shiny object in the palm of my hand. "Don't lose it though; you'll need it in order to fight the League."

"Thanks." I smiled as I handed it over to Skyla who placed it in the first slot of our badge box.

"For your second badge, head on over to Azalea town. You'll find the gym leader there to be more challenging." Falkner smirked. "Good luck."

"Thank you." I said as I leaned on Skyla for support.

"Before you leave, let's exchange numbers." Faulkner held up his own PokeGear. "When I'm done renovating my gym, let's have a rematch."

"Sounds great."

* * *

_Pokemon Center..._

A few hours of rest did me well, my wounds were patched up and were healing nicely. Just as I was resting peacefully I heard the sound of someone running down the halls and knew I was in for a rude awakening.

"Morning, sleeping beauty!" Skyla roared as she opened the door...actually she almost kicked the door off of its hinges.

"AUGGGHHHHH!" I covered my head with a pillow. "You're too damn noisy!"

"Oh quiet you. I thought you might be hungry so I bought breakfast!" She pranced over to the bed and tried to get the pillow off of my head. "C'mon. Let me see your beautiful..."

"My beautiful what?" I asked, waiting for her to finish that sentence.

"...is that what you were trying to hide?" Skyla asked. When I removed the pillow, my once orange hair was now entirely red except for a small bang that stayed the original color. "You look fabulous! Besides you have a cute bed head."

"Really? You know, my hair wasn't the only thing that changed. Look!" I held up my now slightly red jacket. "Even my jacket changed colors. What is this even?!"

"You evolved stupid." Felina walked in with an irritated look on her face. "And keep it down, you're too noisy."

"Nice to see you too." My voice was muffled as I tried to hide underneath the blankets again but Skyla dragged me out by the feet.

"C'mon. We have a pretty day ahead of us so let's get to it!" She smiled as I groaned. "Besides," She leaned close to whisper in my ear, her voice dangerously low, "a mysterious girl and guy visited us at the tower the other day. They were looking for you."

"They were?" I looked at her and she nodded. _That must've been Hayes, haven't seen her in awhile...I don't know about the guy, he might be her teammate. If that's the case..._"Do you know where they are?"

"My guess is they are almost near Azalea Town." Felina said as Skyla trotted to her side. "Knowing them, they're probably resting at a rest stop from the long journey." Getting out of bed I shuffled to the restroom, using my right hand to comb through my bed head.

"Get our stuff ready." I ordered, gazing at them calmly to make sure they weren't standing around. "We're leaving." When I finished and put on my clothes that were washed by the nurse while I was resting, I stepped out to see my teammates, along with two new members waiting for me.

"Finally the leader shows herself. How're you feeling?"

"Huh? Mr. Suzuki? What brings here?" I asked before noticing that there was a child hiding behind his legs. "Who's the little one?"

"Oh this is my daughter Tama." Silva gently pushed the child forward. "Isn't she a cutie?"

"One of the cutest I've seen all day." Felina stated plainly, forcing Skyla to elbow her.

"She's a bit shy with strangers but she's a real sweetheart. She just recently got her battle license but she only fought in five battles and won them all." Silva continued to praise his daughter. "By the way, I noticed your hair changed. Evolution sure is mysterious because my hair pigment didn't change that drastically. I like it."

"Thanks for complimenting my hair." I said. "But back to my question, why are you here?"

"Well...Tama and I are somewhat of a team right now, but it's a bit too dangerous for us to venture out with all the gangs and things in town. Sure I can beat up two people at the same time alone but three or more is impossible. So I have a proposition for you. It would be much safer for you, Skyla and Felina to be in a full party, right?" He looked at me as I was busy introducing myself to Tama. "I, Silva Suzuki, and my daughter would both like to join your party. How about it?"

"Are you two sure you'd love to join us?" I asked him, looking down as Tama clung onto my leg; I think she likes me better than Felina. "I have to warn you, this journey isn't going to be easy."

"I understand but don't underestimate me. I have two badges recorded in the database, sadly I don't have them physically so I can't give them to you. Tama has potential and I'll keep her in check myself so you won't have to worry about a thing."

"I guess...we'd love to have you guys around." I smiled as I shook his hand. "Welcome to the group."

"Perfect. Now all we have to do is have one more person to have a full party!" Skyla cheered.

"Huh, since Dad has his eye on this team, I guess it won't be that bad." Tama said. This was actually the first time I actually heard her speak full sentences. "Hope no one will wimp out like what people usually do in a full team. Though I wish the 'Leader' of the team was Dad instead of some wimpy-looking strawberry. No offense."

_St-St-Strawberry?! _I gaped at her before feeling my anger boiling. _Hang on, take deep breaths. Deep...breaths._

"Well at least it wasn't that uptight blueberry over there." Tama continued, referring to Felina who looked like she wanted to punch the kid in the face.

"Since we're all acquaintances now," I looked around to see that everyone's accounted for. "let's hustle and head off to Azalea Town."

* * *

**A/N**: Team update

Asura Rhys

Sex: Female

Ability: Blaze

Nature: Adamant

Good endurance

LV. 18 Charmeleon

Skyla Aderyn

Sex: Female

Ability: Keen Eye

Nature: Bold

Scatters things around

LV. 13 Pidgey

Silva Suzuki

Sex: Male

Nature: Impish

Often lost in thought

Lv. 11 Mareep

Tama Suzuki

Sex: Female

Nature: Rash

Alert to sounds

Lv. 7 Togepi

Felina Koloss

Sex: Female

Nature: Serious

Strongly defiant

LV. 9 Magikarp


	4. Chapter 4: Slowpoke Well

**A/N**: Chapter 4 of _Fire's Emblem_. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own. You all know the rest.

* * *

**Chapter 4: Slowpoke Well**

_Route 32..._

We left Violet City behind and continued our journey towards Azalea Town in hopes of receiving our second badge. The sun was shining and there were little wisps of clouds floating around in the sea of blue. We fought battlers along the way as training and soon we hit a fork in the road. One of the signs pointed to the Ruins of Alph while the other sign pointed to the next route.

"...I don't want to go to the ruins." Tama stated with annoyance. "I went there a bazillion times...it's really boring."

"Hmm...do any of you wish to see the ruins or do you wish to go straight to Azalea City through the Union Cave?" Silva turned to us.

"I wanna train so Union Cave for me!" Skyla jumped immediately while I leaned more to the ruin option since I've never been to those before.

"Then I'll take Asura to tour the ruins for a little while. Skyla, since you're so eager, take Felina and Tama to Route 33. We won't spend but merely an hour or two so wait for us near Union Cave." Silva took charge as he laid out his thoughts. "This way everyone is doing something productive."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Skyla smirked as she wrapped an arm around Felina's shoulder much to the girl's frowning expression. "I'm really pumped up for this!"

"Now...shall we proceed?" Silva asked and I nodded my head.

"Be careful okay?" I turned to them before I left. "Don't go overboard."

"You're such a worry-wort." Felina huffed as she started to follow Skyla and Tama. "Just have fun at your little extravaganza, I'll keep an eye on those two." Bidding farewell, Silva and I made our way into the ruins. I was blown away by the markings on the walls, raising my hand to touch the cold stones. There were chalk markings of Unknowns and two giant bird creatures; one that has silver feathers and the other had rainbow feathers.

"Those are the legendary birds Lugia and Ho-Oh." I turned to see Silva look at the paintings himself. "Pretty neat huh?"

"They look magnificent." I replied. "It's amazing how these ruins survived through all of the countless wars in this region."

"Asura do you believe that legends such as them exist? Or do you think the same as everyone else? That it's all just lores, myths, fables..."

"...I don't really know since I've never met one in general." I looked puzzle for a minute as a thought popped into my mind. "Of course we don't really know what powers a legendary can wield."

"Hmm...it looks like this is all the ruin's got." Silva spoke as we finished our tour. "Since there's nothing else left to see, let's go meet the rest of them." He smiled and we made our way out of the ruins and walked down the path towards the next route.

"Ah! I see them! Guys we're baaaaaack!" I shouted as we approached the rest of the team who were taking a break. "Are you all done with your training montages?"

"I kicked two butts." Tama said excitedly as she greeted her father. "Skyla kicked six!"

"That's my girl!" He snickered as he patted her head. "Next time, kick five!"

"Thanks to that montage I evolved. Check out these puppies!" Skyla unfurled her glorious wings with pride. "Neat huh?"

"The fish didn't do anything thought." Tama pouted as she pointed to Felina who was sitting on a rock. "She just sat there for the entire montage without blinking an eyelash."

"For your information, I'm still holding onto the Exp. Share." Felina yawned as she pointed to the item on her arm. "Even if I'm not physically in battle, I still get some benefits."

"No wonder you're getting fat." Tama said bluntly. "You do nothing but sit on your ass like a log and let the rest of us do the dirty work."

"What did you say you little brat?!" A tick mark flashed on her cheek as she growled angrily at the kid, "How dare you poke fun at my weight!"

"It's the truth though." Tama replied, "I'm starting to see some rolls through your clothes."

"N-now calm down, let's not fight amongst ourselves..." Skyla sweat-dropped as she consoled the blue-haired girl who looked like she was just inches from strangling the kid. "How about we go through Union Cave and you can unleash your anger along the way? Does that sound okay to you?"

"...fine..." Felina scowled. "You should feel lucky that I'm in a forgiving mood right now but the next time you poke fun at my weight...I'll kill you."

"Hey Felina, let me borrow that Exp. Share for a while." I held out my hand. "Since I didn't do a montage I figured I should start in Union Cave."

"Suit yourself..." Slipping the item off she placed it in the palm of my hand. "but allow me to accompany you. I'm gonna show that shorty how useful I can be."

"I shall join you as well." Silva smiled as I placed the item around my arm. "I need the training." Smiling we made our way into the cave and picked up a guide who offered to get us to the exit quickly and effectively.

"...I can use the psychic type move called Extrasensory, which is very rare for a Togepi to learn." Tama was telling Skyla as we walked through Union Cave. "But since it's hard for me to aim it right, I have to use a weapon to help me, which is this special umbrella." She held up the yellow object, "You kinda have to channel your powers into it like a medium...I'll probably stop using it when I get more skilled..."

"But...why an umbrella?" Skyla asked. "Why not a cannon or something cooler?"

"It was on sale." Tama replied. "Daddy loves discounts. He had to order it from a special shop and had it customized for me to use. It's like how you get a new custom battle clothes after you evolve. But I have a hidden ace move that I can only use in emergencies. It's a secret, but it's super powerful! I just have to wag my finger like this and think really hard."

"Badass..." Skyla responded.

"Nice work Mr. Suzuki! Pink looks good on you." I said as the rest of the group turned to see their newly evolved teammate and nodded in agreement. He looked at the pink and black fleece jacket before wrapping it around his waist.

"Not my normal style but it'll do." He stated calmly.

"So do you guys know about the suspicious activity around the Slowpoke Well?" Our guide spoke as he lead us down the tunnel. "There are weird dudes hanging around there in dark outfits. I heard that they're into psychic powers or something, so they're checking out the people in the well."

"Ehh? Are they some cult or movement?" Silva asked with an arched eyebrow.

"I dunno. I never really got to check it out because I don't want my team to get into trouble." Our guide replied grimly. "So you guys should be careful on Route 33. I heard that there were kidnappings there so keep your eyes peeled and be safe."

* * *

_Route 33..._

"...it's fucking raining..." An angry tick mark appeared on my head as we stood out in the open with no shelter as far as the eye could see. Our guide wished us luck before returning to his own team, giving us a huge smile and a thumbs up. Suddenly I sneezed and wiped my nose with the back of my hand. "Does anyone have a tissue of some sort?"

"Ack I forgot that it rains here 24/7." Skyla laughed nervously as we continued to be drenched from head to toe. "Taaaamaaaa...let's share." She tried to bribe her way in hopes of getting out of the shower.

"Get your own special umbrella." was the reply.

"At least someone's enjoying it..." Silva stated and we all stared at Felina who started to whistle a happy tune as she embraced the rain. "She seems to have found inner peace." Just as I was about to comment on that, I found myself surrounded by ominous red clouds.

"Guys?" I looked around to see that none of my teammates were with me. "What the hell is this place?" Suddenly I was overcome by fear and my heart felt like it was being crushed by ghastly claw; the feeling was unbearable to be described with words.

"Should we help her?" Tama asked as I started screaming.

"The psychic loving cult is attacking us already?" Silva asked.

"Holy hell is that what death feels like?!" I was released from the attack, my hands over my heart in hopes to calm it down. "What a horrible experience."

"Whoa shit, I'm sorry!" The bushes rustled and a young man popped out. "I thought you were Team Rocket grunts for a second so I used my Nightshade without thinking."

"Hmm? Aren't you apart of that flock in Sprout Tower?" Skyla asked as I gave him an angry glare.

"Tribe...and yes. My name's Damien Morino." The man bowed slightly.

"Why are you out here alone in the rain? Where's your teammates?" Silva asked him.

"They're in the Slowpoke Well, trying to save a girl like they're heroes or something. 15 minutes have already passed, but they never came back out." Damien frowned. "It's really hard to believe but we saw the girl being forced down the well by Team Rocket. We assumed that she was kidnapped s-"

"...Team Rocket..." I muttered.

"I'm actually telling the truth, no joke. It was definitely Team Rocket!" He said, afraid that we wouldn't believe him.

"Interesting! A month ago, I actually saw a few grunts in Violet City once." Silva said with a frown on his face"I thought they were cosplayers though, but now I guess that group is actually still around."

"Okay. Here's the plan..."

"Don't tell me you're gonna play hero too?!" Damien snapped as I looked at the opening with determination. "This is Team Rocket we're talking about!"

"It doesn't matter right?" I replied as my team gathered around me. "Since we're here, might as well say hello. First there should be someone out here to keep watch in case anything happens...Felina and Skyla, you two stay here."

"Awww but I wanna stick with you." Skyla pouted while Felina shrugged her shoulders; on the inside the water type was actually pleased to be left in the rain instead of going into a humid old hole.

"Please, don't be difficult. Felina is strong no doubt in the rain thanks to her Swift Swim ability but that's not gonna be enough. Besides you are the most dependable scout on my team so it's your job to get help if you see any danger."

"...Okay...fine..." She muttered. "But next time a huge mission comes up like this, I want in."

"Of course." I smiled. "Next, Tama and Mr. Suzuki. You two accompany Damien and catch up with his teammate. See what you can gather from the grunts over there."

"Understood." They replied.

"Right. I'll take care of things on this side. Everyone, let's designate this as our meeting place. After you have finished your duties, meet back here understand? Move out!" I ordered.

"Tama, make sure you stay close to me." Silva warned as he followed Damien. "We have to expect the unexpected."

"I know. I know." Tama replied.

"Here!" The ghost boy said as he showed them another entrance to the well. "This is where he disappeared. It shouldn't be too far until we catch up to him."

"This shouldn't take long." I said to Felina and Skyla once the others had left. "You guys know what to do. Well, I'm off."

"Asura...wait." Skyla said and I looked at her as Felina got herself comfortable. "Take this." She handed me an antidote from her bag. "Just in case...Good luck."

"...thanks. I'll see you in a bit." I replied, putting the item in my jacket pocket and carefully made my way into the well. The moment my feet touched the ground I was hit with the strong smell of death and it made my eyes watered. Covering my nose I looked around and noticed that I couldn't see anything because it was a little dark. Grabbing an old torch I used my flames to light it, only to lay eyes on the source of the smell. Bodies, old and young alike, laid strew across the cold stone path with blood all over their clothes. My cobalt blue eyes hardened with anger as I continued down the maze-like well, following the sound of fighting.

"So where's your annoying Razor Leaf now, hm?" Definitely a male's voice reached my ears as I turned the corner. My first concern was for a young girl and an elderly man shivering in the corner; they must be the only ones left out of the clan that was living around the well. Shifting my eyes I noticed that Hayes was in battle with a man and it seems like she had been poisoned because her movements were a little jerky. "Why don't you finish cutting me to ribbons? Oh right, you can't anymore!" He laughed. "Please, keep preaching about how type advantages are nothing! You're fucking poisoned!"

"Piss off!" Hayes snapped, wincing as she felt the poison sap her energy little by little.

"Why don't ya start your heroic 'I'll stop you' speech right now, huh?" The man crowed as he shot poison tipped needles from his huge cannon-like arm. "How pathetic. Don't you know that there's no fucking reason for you to be here?!" Hayes snarled silently as she dodged the attack. "You said that you were gonna kill me! As if you have the guts to! After I deal with you, I'll make sure that your annoying Golbat will join you in the afterlife!"

_Damn it...this isn't good!_ Hayes growled as she used Synthesis to bring back some energy.

"Bye bye, Girlie!" The man laughed as he pointed his arm in her direction, charging up for another Poison Sting attack. Suddenly a stream of fire shot out and smacked him in the face, catching him by surprise as he tried to defend against the onslaught of hissing embers. Caught off guard he turned to see where the flames came from and half-smiled as I stood there, flames still coming out the corners of my mouth. "...Well, well, well. Who do we have here? Another girl trying to play the hero?"

"Those bodies littered near the entrance of the well...was that your doing?" I asked in a deadly voice, walking forward till I stood in front of him.

"I'm surprised that you found us in the first place. Did ya come here to save your girlfriend?" He mused. I didn't say anything but I knew that Hayes was watching us carefully and she was scowling at that comment.

"Hey." I said, getting her attention. "Use this." Taking out the antidote that Skyla gave me, I tossed it over my shoulder where it landed in her hands. "It'll make you feel better." _It looks like she evolved...the outfit's different._

"Awww you even care for her." The man continued, earning a glare from Hayes as she applied the antidote. "How kind of you."

"Stop avoiding the question." I snapped, getting his attention. "Was that...your doing?"

"You certainly are persistent, I'll give you that. It's so hard to find what you want these days, usually someone would end up having what you need. So what do you do when someone has something you need? You kill them of course... After all," He grinned, "the sound of their crying voices once their tails were severely removed was like music to my ears!"

"Shut. Up." I snapped, flames coming out of my mouth as I glared at him. "Those were innocent people you slaughtered, how dare you say those ugly words and smile like that! Allow me to wipe it off your face." I rushed at him with my Fire Punch in hand but he was ready for me. Dodging underneath my arm he attacked my unguarded side with a barrage of fast punches. I gritted my teeth as his attack rattled my body and I slid back a few feet to take a breather.

"C'mon!" He appeared before me, his hand balled and pulled back into a tight fist. "Is this the best you got?"

"Uuuagh!" I gagged as he drove his fist straight into my stomach.

"I'm disappointed." He held me by the front as he slammed his knee into my gut again as a follow up. Winded, I barely registered what was happening before I was slammed into the ground, the impact made my teeth rattle. "Stupid girl." He tutted as he jumped back, grinning at his handy work.

"Did you forget..." The man tensed up as Hayes appeared right behind him, her red eyes boring deep into his. "that I'm your opponent as well Franco!?"

"Don't call me that." He snarled, blocking her attack but reeled back as she kicked him in the face. "I prefer 'Proton' inste-"

"That's...really...lame." I said, sitting up and shook the dizziness from my eye-sight. Blood started to run down my face and I stopped to wipe some away before it got into my eyes.

"Yeah that's a fucking stupid name." Hayes grinned in agreement, somersaulting back as Franco took a swipe at her. "Why are you imprisoning those people here, and why are you slicing off their pokemon's tails? Are you here so that you can cut tails and sell them for money?"

"...Amazing." Franco looked at us in an appalled manner. "You think we're that lame? We have enough financial backup, thank you very much. We're actually studying the people, not their pets. Honestly, we wouldn't be here if the last guy who was in charge of this place didn't fuck up. But oh well. Selling tails on the side is a nice plus, I guess."

"That's filthy money you're obtaining." I growled, standing on shaky legs. "What are you truly planning?"

"Why should I tell the two of you all of our plans?" He smirked. "The others would kill me if I do. Figure it out yourselves."

"This guy pisses me off!" Hayes snapped and took a step forward in an attempt to attack him but I shook my head, holding my arm out to stop her from doing something stupid.

"Tell me, do your plans revolve around the myth that there is still a much further evolution that can be obtained?" I asked. "For example, through a stone perhaps?"

"H-h-how did you..." Franco's expression changed before he narrowed his eyes at me. "Oh ho, I see. I see what's going on. Ahahaha!" Tilting his head back he let out a laugh. "You got me there good, kid." _She's probably the third holder the boss was talking about...I should informed them. _"As much as I would love to stick around and babysit you, I must bid you farewell." With a snap of his fingers, he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Now that that's done...are you two alright?" I turned my attention to the girl and the elder.

"Th-thank you very much for saving us." The girl said before frowning. Reaching into her pocket she took out a kerchief and wiped away some of the blood. "You're hurt."

"It's nothing..." I replied as she continued to wipe away.

"Let's get out of here." Hayes said as she watched us with this expression on her face that I couldn't read. "I'm done with this underground nonsense."

"Right. Let's go." The girl said and held my hand, guiding me back to the well's entrance. "Will you be alright?"

"You two go first." I said, seeing Hayes bring up the rear with the elder. "We'll follow after you."

"Promise?" She gazed at me.

"I promise."

"O-okay. Be careful." The girl said as she made sure the elder went first before following. Skyla and Felina were ready from above to help and guide if needed. Soon the girl and the elder were out so only Hayes and I were left.

"You don't look so good." She commented.

"I'm f-fine...let me catch my breath." I said before leaning against the wall, trying to get some air back into my lungs. Suddenly I was overcome with nausea and sat down to keep from vomiting.

"You obviously aren't 'fine.' C'mon." I looked up to see that she knelt with her back towards me. "I'll carry you up and I'm not taking no as an answer." Seeing as there wasn't any other way, I obliged and held on as she climbed the ladder and out of the well.

"OH MY GOSH! Are you okay? What happened? Why do you look like that?! You're bleeding!" Skyla pounced on me, asking all sorts of questions and I could see that Hayes was just inches from blowing a fuse.

"Haa...Haaa...I'm fine...just winded." I assured her as she started to fuss over my wounds. "Hayes...you can put me down now...Put me down damn it."

"Quit struggling." Hayes growled as I tried to get her to put me down but she refused. "You're in no shape to walk to Azalea Town. And you!" She snapped at Skyla who glared right back. "Stop fussing like a mother, it's pretty pathetic."

"There's my beloved granddaughter!" We turned our attention to an old man running up to us followed by the rest of our team.

"Grandpa!" The girl said as she ran to him, jumping straight into his open arms.

"Were you young'uns the ones who rescued her? Thank you." The man smiled. "My name is Kurt and I make useful items out of Apricorns which grow around Azalea Town. "

"Asura." I turned to see Silva walking up to me. "While we were in the other side, one of the grunts said that the police force of Azalea isn't going to intervene with this incident. Apparently Executive Proton made with them..."

"Executive Franco did? This is troublesome..." I muttered before wincing, putting a hand to my head. "Uuugh, my head."

"You are such a handful sometimes..." Hayes turned to look at me. _She must've gotten a concussion fighting against Franco, it's a wonder she's still conscious. _"Why don't you rest a bit?"

"...thanks...Hayes.." I whispered as I slumped against her. Soon soft snoring came out of my mouth which indicated that I was asleep.

_What a kid...I still need to know more about Team Rocket's plans...but most importantly, I need to learn more about the stone and the mark on my arm... _"Let's go." Hayes commanded as she looked at the combined group. "We're wasting time loitering here."

"Who died and made you leader?" Tama said before being shushed by Silva.

"As you can see, your 'Leader' is out of commission at the moment. Besides, " Hayes towered over her with an angry look. "no one would follow instructions from a tiny midget like you."

"What did you say!? Say that again I dare you!" Tama roared and the two of them glared at each other.

"Guys! We've got wounded teammates here." Felina snapped. "Quit bitchin and get movin."

"Allow me to accompany y''all as thanks." Kurt said as he went to the front with his granddaughter in tow."My house is located in Azalea Town."

"Watch your step." Erik said as he helped the other elder who looked at him gratefully. Together the ragged group made their way towards Azalea Town.

* * *

**A/N**: Team status...I think I'm gonna put the names in bold.

**Asura Rhys**

Sex: Female

Ability: Blaze

Nature: Adamant

Good endurance

LV. 25 Charmeleon

**Skyla Aderyn**

Sex: Female

Ability: Keen Eye

Nature: Bold

Scatters things around

LV. 21 Pidgeotto

**Silva Suzuki**

Sex: Male

Ability: Static

Nature: Impish

Often lost in thought

LV. 19 Flaaffy

**Tama Suzuki**

Sex: Female

Ability: Serene Grace

Nature: Rash

Alert to sounds

LV. 16 Togepi

**Felina Koloss**

Sex: Female

Ability: Swift Swim

Nature: Serious

Strongly defiant

LV. 19 Magikarp

**Hayes Frondemen**

Sex: Female

Ability: Overgrow

Nature: Adamant

Proud of its power

LV. 25 Bayleef

**Erik Nenner**

Sex: Male

Ability: Inner Focus  
Nature: Impish

Highly persistent

LV. 23 Golbat

**Damien Morino**

Sex: Male

Ability: Levitate

Nature: Rash

Good endurance

LV. 20 Gastly


	5. Chapter 5: Azalea Town

**A/N**: Chapter 5 of_ Fire's Emblem_. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the gijinkas except the ones on Asura's team, Blitz and Hime. All the other gijinka teams belongs to Nyanpapa (go see the comic on deviantart cause it's amazing).

Special thanks to the readers who Fav/Alert this story, I really appreciate it.

* * *

**Chapter 5: Azalea Town**

_Kurt's Home..._

"Uuggh...my head." I groaned with mild pain. Blinking the sleep from my eyes I realized that I was in a house and not in the Pokemon Center like my team usually end up after a day's work．Looking around I noticed that not everyone was present. Skyla was in a cot next to me sound asleep, her peaceful expression says that she was having a good dream.

"Mmmm, please no more. I don't think I could eat another bite! Fufufu!" She suddenly mumbled before tossing around for a better sleeping position, chuckling to herself before falling silently into a snore.

_Ahaha...what a glutton, even in her sleep._ I smiled. Throwing the covers off quietly I exited the room and wandered down the hall, my bear feet tapping against the wooden floor. _What a giant house, how does one find the restroom around here?_ Noticing a door coming up around the corner I immediately assumed that it was what I was looking for so I opened it to see Mr. Suzuki in his Mareep and Flaaffy boxers and a shirt almost half-way to his head. Tama was still in bed, curled asleep under the covers.

"M-may I help you...?" He asked, using the shirt as a cover up but the damage was done.

_My eyes have been tainted...I can no longer see clearly..._ "Uuhhh...excuse me." I said before walking away with my hands over my eyes. _Not the best image to see in the morning..._Finally reaching the restroom I noticed that the door was unlocked so I walked in, just as Hayes stepped out of the shower. She had a towel around her body and her long green hair was down instead of up in her usual ponytail. We stared at one another for a good minute and it donned on me that I should have knocked.

"You...! Why you little...!" She glared at me, face red with rage and embarrassment. I backed up, my back against the door as she prowled forward, holding me in place with her piercing red eyes.

"Yawn...what's with all the noise?" Suddenly the door flew open and Erik walked in, sleep still in his eyes. "Eh..." He noticed that the two of us were in and quickly excused himself, running off to find another restroom. Making sure that he indeed was gone I realized that I was in deep trouble. Hayes narrowed her eyes at me, her anger level spiking through the roof. Thanks to that unsuspected door opening up I was pushed directly into Hayes and our lips happened to meet. She was a bit taller than I was but we were the perfect height for each other, our lips fitting together like puzzle pieces.

"Now you've done it..." She calmly spoke as I stepped back, hand over my lips. It was my first kiss after all and by the look on her own face it must've been the same for her.

"S-S-Sorry! I didn't do it on purpose! Waaah!" I yelped as she threw me to the ground, groaning when my back hit the cold tiles uncomfortably.

"You little shit...!" Hayes growled as she sat on my stomach, a small knife in one hand and the other already wrapped around my throat. "Give me a good reason why I shouldn't skin you alive. You walked in on me and even had the balls to kiss me...you've got some nerve!"

"Uuuhhh…you see...it was...ummm..." I tried to think of a good excuse but I noticed that the towel was about to slip off her body. Thinking fast I rolled over so that she ended up pinned underneath me and I placed both hands on either side of her head. She looked up at me in surprised, totally thrown off guard at what had happened. "Sorry, the towel was going to slip."

"…how modest of you…" She replied without batting an eyelash. The knife she was holding was now lying underneath the sink, way out of her reach. "You know what…if you weren't so annoying," She suddenly smirked at me, a devious glint in her eyes . "I think I might fall for you."

_Is that even possible? We are two different types and two different species, I'm a fire type and she's a grass type. We wouldn't match!_ I looked at her in a confused manner, a small blush starting to crawl up my neck. _Well, she does look beautiful with her hair down now...I mean...what!? Stupid gutter mind...  
_

"Tch, whatever." She harrumphed with irritation. "Any chance you might want to let me up? This floor is quite cold."

"It wasn't my intention to stop you from leaving…"I retorted before shaking my head. "Wait…we ended up like this because I didn't want your towel to fall!"

"Who cares about that...ugh! Fine I'll do this myself. No hard feelings."

"Oof!" I grunted as she swiftly slammed her knee into my stomach and kicked me off to the side. Standing up she readjusted the towel and I gripped the edge of the tub to regain my bearings and my breath back.

"This wouldn't have happened if you just obeyed my orders...better yet if you had just knocked like a normal person." She said as she picked the knife up and put her hair back into a ponytail, looking at me through her peripheral vision.

"Y-yeah yeah…I understand." was my breathless reply.

"Good." She said and left the bathroom. _Damn it, I should have asked her more about that stone necklace but, I've wasted enough time as it is. There's a gym here, beating the gym leader should help me release some of this pent up energy.  
_

"Hayes...why is your face red?" Erik asked when she returned. He had successfully found a second bathroom and was walking back to the room. Hayes didn't realize that her face was red until he pointed it out to her. "Did something happen in there while I was away?"

"That's none of your damn business." She snapped impatiently. "Get your things and wake Damien up. We're leaving." As Erik rushed off to do her bidding, she unconsciously touched her lips.

_Stupid! Don't think about her..._She growled as she got back to her room and put on her normal attire. _I've got a gym to beat._

_Owww she hits hard…I think I have a bruise now._ Whimpering I quickly did my business and trudged back to the room, limping a bit.

"Oh hiya! Leader!" Skyla bombarded me as soon as I stepped into the room, latching on to me with vigor. "Why are you limping? Are you hurt anywhere? Did someone hurt you?"

"I fell on the way to the bathroom." I laughed, scratching the back of my head. "I tend to be a klutz in the morning."

"...stupid." She frowned before lighting back up like a light bulb. "So anyways, what's on the agenda for today?"

"I was thinking that since we're here we might as well challenge the gym." I replied, smiling at her boundless energy.

"I heard this gym is owned by the bug leader Bugsy." Skyla informed me as I helped her pack her things. "Should be easy with our team and you in the lead."

"OI!" We heard a boisterous voice outside. "You two up yet?! It's morning!"

"We're up! We're up!" Skyla barked back as I opened the door to see an irritated Felina. "No need to be so agitated in the morning."

"What are you two doing in there?" She looked at us with a raised eyebrow. "Just for your information, that green girl and her two chums already left to battle the gym."

"Already? Damn it! At this rate we'll fall behind." Skyla frowned, arms crossed over her chest.

"It's okay.＂I told them with a smile. "It doesn't matter who gets the badges first. Let's just have fun together. That's what this adventure's all about."

"…I guess if that's how you envision it." Felina shrugged her shoulders as I stepped out with my bag slung over my shoulders.

"C'mon. Let's see what's for breakfast."

"Thanks for rescuing my granddaughter the other day." Kurt said once my team settled around the table. There were biscuits, scrambled eggs, toast and even MooMoo milk. "Now eat up!"

"Wow! Thanks for the food!" We said before digging in.

"I also want you to have this as a token of my appreciation." Kurt held out what looked like an item for me to take. Holding it in my hand I realized that it was some kind of charm. "I whittled it out of the White Apricorn growing outside my house. I think of it as my good luck charm．＂

"It's so pretty!" Skyla commented, leaning over my shoulder to look at it. "It looks like it was made out of white marble stone."

"Is it okay for you to give it to us?" I asked him.

"Yep! I don't mind." Kurt smiled in response.

"We'll take good care of it." I promised him before noticing that it was attached to a chain meant to go around the neck area. _Well since I'm already wearing this one..._I frowned before looking to the side, noticing that Skyla was ogling at it. Smirking I slipped it around her neck.

"Hmm? You sure?" She asked when she realized that the charm was on her instead of me.

"I'm already wearing one." I told her, pointing to the stone hanging from my neck.

"You know you can wear as much jewelry as you want right?" She gazed at me and frowned.

"I don't want so many things hanging around my neck." I replied. "It might get in my way."

"Well…alright then, if you insist. Thanks!" She smiled.

"By the way, your friends that came along with you had left for the gym." Kurt's granddaughter said as we continued eating. "It looked as though they were in a hurry so gramps had them take their portion of food to go."

"Is that so?" I said, pouring myself a glass of MooMoo milk.

"See Asura? I told you so." Felina chastised me with a pouty look on her face. "If you and Skyla weren't busy in the room doing who knows what…we would've hit the road way before them."

"WHAT!?" Skyla squawked, glaring at her companion. "We wouldn't do such...such impudent things in the bedroom!"

"Asura, no. You on the other hand, are irregular." Felina released a sigh and shook her head with disappointment. "It's like I'm arguing with a Mankey."

"What did you say!?" Skyla seethed, clearly having her feathers ruffled the wrong way. "Come over here so I can kick your scaly ass!"

"She called you an irregular." Tama said calmly, stuffing her mouth with an egg while Silva chuckled. "She also referred to you as a stupid monkey."

"Enough!" I glared at the squabbling girls before turning to our host. "Like Felina says, we should get going soon. Thanks for letting us stay for the night."

"It's the least I could do for you." Kurt smiled as he ushered us to the front gate, his granddaughter waved to us from the door. "If you look straight down this path, you'll see the gym. You can't miss it."

"Thanks so much Kurt." I said as my team said goodbye to him. "We'll see you later."

* * *

_Azalea Gym..._

When we walked in through the front door, we were surrounded with all sorts of lush green ferns. There were rose bushes, strawberry bushes and other fragrances from flowers that I couldn't name lining our path. There were also trees that grew all the way up to the ceiling.

"Wow, this gym is amazing." Skyla mused as she touched one of leaves from a tree. "This place is like bug paradise."

"Well that is a no brainer. Bugsy owns this gym so it would obviously fit his taste." Felina stated calmly. "I'm guessing our opponents are hidden within this jungle labyrinth, waiting to ambush us when we least expect it. Let's proceed carefully." Nodding our heads with agreement, we journeyed forth.

"What kind of gijinka is Bugsy?" I asked as Tama shocked one of the gijinka trainees with Extrasensory.

"He's probably a Scyther gijinka if I were to take a guess." Skyla replied after thinking about it. "Those creatures are fast when it comes to speed...and their attacks are really sharp, they rarely miss their target."

"I see. Oh it seems that must be him." I noticed a team waiting for us in the middle of the gym when we managed to navigate our way out.

"Welcome challengers." The one in the middle, a boy with lavender colored hair and eyes smiled as we stood before him. "I'm Bugsy, leader of Azalea gym." He had green colored clothing and brown shoes.

"Today we have the challengers, Asura's team battling against Azalea Town's Bugsy's team." The referee announced. "The challengers may not use healing items during the battle and they must have the same number of teammates as the gym leader."

"Welp, we're gonna sit this match out then." Silva stated as he and Felina took a sit along the sidelines. "Good luck!"

"This will be single battle matches." The referee continued. "However, the challengers may switch places whenever they please. Teams, choose your first partner."

"Allow me the honor of fighting first." Tama said, standing in the ring with her yellow umbrella before I could even make an order. Nodding my head with the choice, Skyla and I stood off behind the line so that we wouldn't interrupt the fight.

"I-I'll go too…" A young girl spoke as she waltzed up. She was clad in green much like Bugsy but her green color was a bit darker. "As an student under Bugsy, I can't afford to loose."

"Battler's ready?" The ref asked as he looked at both combatants. "Begin!"

"Harden!" The girl held out her arms and shield appeared.

"Ha!" Tama smirked as she pointed her umbrella at her opponent. "Extrasensory!"

"N-Not yet!" The girl growled when the psychic attack hit, shattering her shield. "Harden!" She produced another shield that looked much thicker than the first one. Tama continued to attack using Extrasensory and the girl retaliated with Harden. It got to the point where Extrasensory could no longer penetrate the thick shield.

"Since it's come to this..." Tama put her umbrella away and held up both index fingers. "Metronome.＂She wiggled them back and forth, closing her eyes in concentration.

"What kind of attack is that?" Her opponent looked on in wonder as Tama's fingers continued to wiggle back and forth．

"Ember!" Tama's cheeks swelled up before she showered the shield with fire. Breaking through the shield, the girl yelped as she was critically hit.

"Match! Victory to the challenger." The referee said as the girl rolled on the ground to get rid of a little fire on her dress. Tama quickly ran over and helped her up, getting rid of the little fire. Giving her a smile, the girl nodded her thanks and the two of them separated, walking back to their respected teams.

"I'm next then." An eager young boy proclaimed, standing beside Bugsy. He was cloaked in yellow and determination burning in his dark-colored eyes. "I won't be easily defeated."

"I like his spirit．Alright, I'll play with him." Skyla smiled as she stood opposite of him.

"Battlers ready? Begin! The referee spoke. The boy used Harden, summoning a yellow shield much like the girl did but he immediately fell victim to Skyla's mighty Gust attack. "Match! Victory to challenger."

"Darn it. I still have much to learn." The boy chuckled as Skyla helped him up. "Sorry if I wasn't challenging enough."

"Don't' beat yourself down." She told him. "It doesn't matter if you win or lose, what matters if you had fun or not."

"Mmmm…definitely." Bugsy agreed. "Looks like it's finally my turn."

"Let's dance." I stood on the field, looking at him with a mild grin.

"Very well then. Just to let you know, I never lose when it comes to bugs. My research is going to make me the authority on bugs. Allow me to demonstrate what I've learned from my studies."

"Battlers ready? Begin!"

"Fury Cutter!"

"Wha-!? Woah!" I backed up as Bugsy flew at me with a giant scythe. One swipe and I noticed that a part of my clothes ended being slashed into ribbons. It didn't hurt too bad as I looked up as the gym leader came back around, bug like wings sprouting out from his back which gave him the ability to fly.

"Nice little trick. Try this one on for size, Ember!"I puckered up my lips and unleashed my flames in an attempt to burn him to the ground.

"Swords Dance!" Hovering in midair, Bugsy twirled his scythe in front of him, creating a gust of wind that blew the Ember away.

"Uuugh…" I growled as I raised my arms to brace against the wind, my Ember attack totally backfired. "Shit..."

"Quick Attack!"

"Arrrgh!" I yelped as he slammed into me, knocking me off my feet. Somersaulting backwards I crouched close to the ground and watched him carefully.

"C'mon. Don't tell me you're giving up." Bugsy said as he fluttered down, his feet barely grazing the ground.

"Not yet…" I quickly wiped the corner of my mouth as I stood up. "Fire Fang!" Summoning my flame knives I flew at him at blinding speed.

_She's quick!_ Bugsy frowned as he tried to block the best he could. _But…! _Pushing me back he rose into the air once more, evading my attack effortlessly.

"Come back down here!" I yelled at him. He didn't respond but used Swords Dance once more, creating the gust of wind.

"Damn it…" I raised my arms in hopes to block the wind, my feet sliding against the ground. He narrowed his eyes and amped up the speed, the wind blowing harder and faster. _Uugh!_ _This wind is getting really annoying!_ I clenched my teeth as I was about to be thrown off balance.

_Now's my chance! _He grinned as I staggered back against the wind's force. "Fury Cutter!" Stopping the wind, he flew in close with his scythe in hand, preparing to cleave me in half.

"Fire Punch!" Getting my balance back, I stood firm and conjured flames around my right hand, clenching it tight into a fist. When he came in for the kill, I slammed my fist against his weapon and the colliding forces caused a big explosion. The smoke and dust filled the entire gym, hindering our field of vision.

"What's this-!?" Bugsy growled as he looked around at the smoke. "I can't see anything! Damn it!"

"Ember!" I suddenly burst through the smoke, flames roaring out of the corner of my mouth.

_She's too close for me to use Swords Dance…! I can't defend against it!_ "Waaah!" Bugsy yelled as the attack hit and he fell beneath the smoke. Once it cleared I was standing on my side of the field and looked apprehensive, waiting for the final decision.

"Aaah...that's the end..." The leader stated as he laid on the ground, his clothes scorched by my attack.

"Winner! Asura! The challengers have therefore won the match!" The referee concluded.

"That was a nice hit." Bugsy said as I helped him to his feet. "My research isn't complete yet. Take this badge." He placed the Hive badge in the palm of my hand. "Do you know the benefits?＂

"Benefits?" I looked at him in confusion as Skyla hurried to my side, badge case in hand.

"I'm guessing Faulkner forgot to tell you about the benefits when you win badges from the leaders." Bugsy shook his head with a laugh. "Anyways, with the Hive badge any gijinka up to lv. 30 will obey you, even traded ones. Those that know HM01 Cut will now be able to use it outside of battle. Here, I want you to have this as well." He held up a CD disc with the words TM written on it. "This TM49 contains Fury Cutter. If this attack doesn't miss, it gets stronger with every turn. The longer the battle, the better it gets. Isn't that great? I discovered it myself!"

"Thanks." I smiled as Skyla put the Hive Badge in its proper place, closing the case shut with a satisfying click.

"Also..." He held up his own Poke Gear. "I plan to do some more research so I'll be outside the city more often than usual. I would like to request a rematch when I get back."

"That sounds like fun, I look forward to it.＂ I replied as we exchanged numbers.

"Take this road and you'll reach Ilex Forest." Bugsy told us as we stood outside his gym. "Once you get past there, you'll reach Goldenrod City."

"Then that's where we'll head to next, Goldenrod City. Thanks Bugsy." I said and we parted ways.

"Do you think the other group already made it to Goldenrod City?＂Skyla asked as we approached the gate that would guide us to our destination.

"Well I see no reason for her to stay here if she had already beaten Bugsy." I replied as the rest of my team looked at me with smiles on their faces. "Who knows? We'll know when we get there ourselves. Let's go."

* * *

**A/N**: Team status...

**Asura Rhys**

Sex: Female

Ability: Blaze

Nature: Adamant

Good endurance

LV. 25 Charmeleon

**Skyla Aderyn**

Sex: Female

Ability: Keen Eye

Nature: Bold

Scatters things around

LV. 21 Pidgeotto

**Silva Suzuki**

Sex: Male

Ability: Static

Nature: Impish

Often lost in thought

LV. 19 Flaaffy

**Tama Suzuki**

Sex: Female

Ability: Serene Grace

Nature: Rash

Alert to sounds

LV. 16 Togepi

**Felina Koloss**

Sex: Female

Ability: Swift Swim

Nature: Serious

Strongly defiant

LV. 19 Magikarp

**Hayes Frondemen**

Sex: Female

Ability: Overgrow

Nature: Adamant

Proud of its power

LV. 25 Bayleef

**Erik Nenner**

Sex: Male

Ability: Inner Focus

Nature: Impish

Highly persistent

LV. 23 Golbat

**Damien Morino**

Sex: Male

Ability: Levitate

Nature: Rash

Good endurance

LV. 20 Gastly


	6. Chapter 6: Ilex Forest encounters

**A/N**: Chapter 6 of _Fire's Emblem_. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own. You all know the rest.

Special thanks to the readers who have Fav/Alert this story, I really appreciate it.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Ilex Forest encounters**

_Ilex Forest..._

"So this is what Ilex Forest looks like." Skyla commented once we walked through the check point and the guard had approved our papers. It was night time so when we exited the small building the sky was already dark and the stars were twinkling like little diamonds.

"It's no different from any other forests." Felina snorted, crossing her arms across her chest looking unimpressed. "Trees look like trees no matter where we end up."

"No matter how you look at it, there seems to be a lot of different paths we can choose from." Silva noted. "It may take us forever until we find the correct one."

"Let's try to find someone who can help us...Oh! I spotted someone!" The Pigeotto gijinka exclaimed as she flocked over to the stranger who looked very concerned, worried even. "Excuse me sir, would you mind helping us out?"

"Oh? Travelers I assume?" The stranger, a male wearing a beige colored sweater and short cropped black hair turned to us with a smile. "I'd love to help if you guys could help me out as well."

"What seems to be the problem?" I asked while off to the side I heard Felina comment something about the person being a cheapskate. Giving her a small glare I turned my attention back to the man. "If it's nothing too difficult, we can help you."

"Well my boss is going to be steaming mad when he realized that I let his daughter run into the woods by herself, especially this late in the hour." The man looked off to the side with a groan. "I knew playing hide-an-seek was a bad idea...especially at this late hour."

"Don't worry." I smiled at him before looking at everyone with a stone-hard stare, leaving no room for arguments. "We'll go and search for her immediately." There was a collective amounts of groans but they all shuffled their feet regardless of the circumstances and we began our search. We spent at least an hour or so trying to find the person without much luck. I could feel that everyone's patience was wearing thin.

"This is completely far-fetched!" Tama growled, poking around some bushes with her umbrella with a frown. "How are we supposed to find someone in the middle of the night in this completely dense forest? It's like...It's like..."

"Finding a needle in a hay stack?" Skyla offered in hopes of being helpful.

"Yeah. Let's go with that analogy." She nodded her head in agreement.

"Did someone say, 'Farfetch'd?" We all turned to see a little girl poking her head out from behind some trees. She had on a brown shirt with a V-shaped logo in the middle, a brown skirt and white shoes. In her hand she had a leek stalk.

"N-No I said...Oh...she's a Farfetch'd gijinka. I get it now." Tama said before shaking her head.

"You must be the Cut Master's daughter." I said as she hopped out and trotted towards us with a smile on her face. "We're here to take you home."

"Already?" She frowned, kicking the ground with her shoes. "Phooey!"

"Ahh, there's my little girl!" When we got back we were greeted by the Cut master himself and the assistant who asked us to search for the girl in the first place. Apparently worried that his daughter wasn't home in time, he set off for the forest himself. "Did she give you a hard time?"

"Not at all." I replied as he scooped her up in his arms.

"As a reward for your efforts, it would be my honor if you took this for your journey." He held out what looked like a CD. "This is HM01, or Cut. I'm sure it'll serve you well."

"Thanks so much." We thanked him and watched as the small group walked back to Azalea Town, the daughter waving goodbye to us until we couldn't see her anymore.

"It's really nice that he gave us the HM but...why do we have to use it now? It's such a hassle!" Skyla frowned as I took the HM out of my bag and held it with both hands. "Can't you just use your flames to burn any tree we come across to the ground?"

"One, I don't plan on starting a forest fire any time soon and two, I can't believe you even suggested that." I replied, shouldering my bag. "There are a bunch of people living in this forests and by starting a forest fire, I would be depriving them of a place they can call home."

"We're wasting time squabbling like a bunch of bimbos, just someone learn Cut so we can get out of here." Felina snapped with annoyance, tapping her foot against the ground impatiently. "I'm getting goosebumps just standing here in the cold!"

"Right, cause Water types don't get cold by being in the water..." Tama commented off to the side. "You're a weird one."

"Are you kiddies lost?" A voice spoke up and we looked to see a girl dressed in a kimono attire standing in our path. Her electric blue eyes were so bright it creep me out just by the way she was staring and she had a red dot in the middle of her forehead. "Oh I'm sorry if I startled you. I cannot seem to find the exit out of this forest myself. Hopefully you don't mind if I may travel with you until you reach the exit."

"Eeeeek!" Skyla darted behind me all of a sudden, her eyes sparkling as she ogled the newcomer. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!"

"Are you okay?" I asked as Skyla squealed with giddiness and that's really unnatural of her.

"The Kimono girls are dancers from Ecruteak City who perform at the dance hall there and also guard the two towers..." She explained with a stupid grin on her face. "Not only are they super graceful and beautiful, but they're also freaking strong who can beat the shit out of most battlers who challenged them...literally goals..."

"...I see that you are one of their dedicated fans..." The woman smiled and that's when I noticed her tail twitching back and forth behind her. It was purple and sleek, elegant too.

"Hmm, sounds cool." Silva commented as he eyed her up and down with approval. "We can't really leave such a pretty lady wandering around this forest by herself. Right, Asura?"

"Dad...please don't become a pervert." Tama frowned, giving him a stink-eye for his behavior.

_Hmph...! Another pretty thing trying to outshine me. _Felina kept her angry comment to herself and turned the other way with a pout. _Espeon gijinkas piss me off with their marvelous appearances..._

"...I guess." I concluded after looking at the reactions of my teammates. "She can stay with us." _This is so sudden that I have no idea what I'm doing..._

"Wonderful!" The woman smiled, showing off rows of jagged teeth that sent shivers down my spine. "My name is Naoko, a pleasure to meet you all."

_What's with her?_ I kept having a nagging feeling in my mind as we ventured further down the path. I ended up learning Cut which wasn't too bad since I wanted to get rid of Growl for quite some time._ Something about her is throwing me off..._

"Asura! Why are you so tense?" Skyla chirped as she walked beside me, looking up at me with those teasing eyes again. "Keep that up and you won't be able to move an inch tomorrow."

"...don't you think this is a bit suspicious?" I whispered to her, keeping my voice low so that only she could hear my thoughts on the matter. "I mean...what's the odds of us running into one of the Kimono girls on a wham like this?"

"Surprisingly low." She replied after thinking about it. "But! It doesn't matter! This was a lucky encounter for sure!"

"...riiiight...keep telling yourself that..." I told her before a voice caught my attention, a familiar voice that I haven't heard in a while.

"Heeey, doesn't that girl's face look familiar?"

"Ohh yeah, she kicked our ass back in the other forest right?" A male's voice spoke up.

"...Jain? Is that you?" I asked, surprised to see the Spinarak gijinka and her newly evolved boyfriend, Kalil as they approached our group.

"Damn, evolution sure hit you hard!" She laughed at my appearance. "By the way, how come ya never called? I gave ya my number didn't I?"

"Uh, yeah, you did." I rummaged around my pockets to find the cellphone Skyla bought for me back when we first met. Scrolling through contacts I found her number much to my relief. "I-I just didn't have time to call you that's all."

"Truth is, Asura is really bad with technology." Skyla stated for all to hear. "Like...extremely bad."

"Ahahaha! Is that so?" Jain laughed much to my embarrassment and patted my back heartily. "That's okay, don't feel blue. I wouldn't have picked up anyway since I'm with Kalil all the time." Deciding that we should take a break, we camped out and scavenged around for food.

"Jain and I came to the Ilex forest to train before we went against the Azalea Gym." Kalil explained as we sat around the campfire.

"We heard that the gym leader is a freaking monster in battle..." Jain added before looking at me. "How about you Asura? How many badges has your team received?"

"Not many since we're only a forth of the way there. We got the second one not too long..." I told them, taking something out of my bag to chew on.

"It's been only three weeks and your team already has two...ah man."

"Ah the idea team and scenario. I'm jealous."

"...are you two okay?" I wondered, feeling their depressed emotions radiating like a virus. _Somehow I feel like I just wounded their pride a bit..._

"You already have a team of five in such a short amount of time. Not to mention a kimono girl?"

"She's extra weight to be honest..." I said as we stared at her. My teammates were all doing their own thing: Felina was dipping her feet in a pound not too far away, Skyla was perched on a branch looking up towards the sky, Silva and Tama were asleep with Naoko staring at them with a thoughtful expression.

"Retains ashes but is different from the others. Anty was right..." She mumbled before realizing that she had attracted attention. "Oh, don't mind me. I'm accompanying them through the forest until they find the exit."

"Aw sheesh, you guys were looking for the exit?" Jain teased, probably laughing at my poor navigation skills too. "You know...you can get out of this area in less than thirty minutes if you take shortcuts."

"Bah...wished someone could have something like that a bit sooner..." I mused.

"Haha. But us on the other hand...we were actually thinking about dropping out." Jain explained, looking at the fire with a sigh. "Too much risk, too much competition if you know what I mean..."

"Sure the challenge has rewards like money and fame, but it's not really worth it." Kalil agreed with her. "Plus we've been having terrible luck so far too. We are a small team that's low on funds and little fighting experience except for the rudimentary attacks...that'll get us nowhere unless we're incredibly lucky. It took me six tries to defeat the first gym by myself."

"Mmm..." I hummed but allowed him to continue.

"In my current evolved state, I have the type advantage but the second gym leader might slit my throat if I solo them myself. I can't have Jain fight against a monster like that."

"Kalil cried like a baby when he first lost against Faulkner." Jain stated with a small laugh. "But yeah I think being coordinators or news reporters would be a better lifestyle for us. You know, careers that don't require much battling and risk, I guess."

"...sorry." Kalil apologized as he buried his head in his hands. "I'm a coward. I just don't want you to get hurt, Jain." She leaned her head against his shoulder in a comforting way, assuring him that there was nothing wrong.

"I see." I replied before smiling softly at the two of them. Turning my attention to the fire before me I watched the embers quietly, the red and orange lights reflected against my cobalt eyes. "Too much risk...huh..."

"Why don't you get some sleep?" Jain offered as she snuggled against her boyfriend. "It's been a stressful day for us all..."

"Thanks for listening to us." Kalil smiled at me. "It means a lot."

"No problem." I replied before dimming the fire down and watched them fall asleep. "Good night." Looking around to make sure everyone was accounted for, I frowned when I noticed that I was missing someone. "Where did Naoko wander off to? I better look for her. I hope she didn't get lost while going to the bathroom."

* * *

_Somewhere in the forest..._

"You're right Anty, she's one of them for sure!" Naoko spoke in a hushed whisper. "Even if she tried to hide what's hanging around her neck, my eyes can see it quite clearly. Should we take her out before heading back to the tower?"

"...she has a different vibe than the others when I first laid eyes on her." Another voice spoke and thanks to the light from the moon, it's revealed to be a woman dressed in the same attire as Naoko except her kimono was black with yellow rings. "Less bloodthirsty, that's for sure."

"So? That doesn't mean we can spare her." Naoko replied urgently. "Thanks to those three, Team Rocket's been nothing but pain in our asses. I can't stand them parading around the town and disrupting the residence in hopes of gathering..."

CRUNCH~

"I thought you said nobody wasn't following you!" Anty snapped, her ears detecting the sound of approaching footsteps.

_This scent...!_ Naoko's eyes widened with surprise before grinning at her companion. "It's her!"

"Fine, I'll deal with this. You stay hidden." Like a flash, the other woman disappeared without another word. Naoko herself went to hide just as I approached the scene, hands in my pockets.

"Where the hell did she go? The scent's leading me this way but no one is here..." I looked to see an old shrine not too far and padded up to it in curiosity. "Hmm...what's this...? A shrine?" I scratched my head for a minute. "For whom I wonder..."

"Psybeam!"

"Wh-what the?!" Turning around I saw bands of psychic energy hurling towards me. Dodging to the side, I glanced around wearily for any sort of movements. "Who are you?! Show yourself!"

"Screech!"

"Argh!" I yelped, covering my ears from the offending noise. "Quite hiding!"

"Now that your defense is down, Giga Impact!" My eyes widened in surprise as the figure darted out from the bushes, covered in some kind of swirling vortex. Rising to my feet I coated my fist in flames and narrowed my eyes dangerously.

"Fire Punch!" As my fist collided with the powerful attack it generated a couple of shock-waves that rattled the air like thunder. I grunted underneath the pressure and felt like my feet were slipping but I held my ground.

"Too weak." The voice whispered just as my attack was shattered. Reeling back I didn't have much time to defend from a follow up attack as something slammed into my chest, smashing me into a couple of trees. I finally came to a stop as my back collided with a tree and collapsed to the ground face first, completely out of breath and winded.

"Uurgh..." I winced and tried to rise, my entire body quivering.

"My poor dear...I should have constrained myself..." The same voice floated toward my ears before the sound of someone approaching me caught my attention. Lifting my head up, I failed to utter a word as a hand shot out, wrapping itself around my neck and I felt myself being held above the ground.

"Y-You're...!" I gasped as I recognized the woman due to her dress color.

"Oh? Do you perhaps know me?" She tilted her head to the side as she studied me for a bit. With a smirk, she slammed me onto my back and pinned me to the ground, her vice-like hand wrapped around my throat while the other hovered directly over my chest with the intent of stabbing my heart.

"Y-You're d-definitely...that woman..." I choked out as she tightened her grip, weakly gripping her wrist in hopes of prying her off. "...back at the Bellsprout Tower! I saw you!"

"Well, it seems like you've came directly into our hands. And you know who I am." She said with narrowed red eyes. "Nothing personal but I must get rid of the burden you carry..."

_Such power...! It's unnatural! _I stared up in wide eyes as her hands started to glow. _They're hotter than anything I've ever felt! _

"What are you three doing in my forest?" A grumpy voice spoke, getting our attention and Anty's hands cooled down since she lost concentration. "Do I always have to keep you in check...? Sheesh..."

"Wow wow it's the short old man, Celebi!" Naoko grinned as she padded out of her hiding place. "What is up, my man?"

"...the hell is wrong with your speech?" He glared at her with annoyance.

"Picked it up while I was roaming!"

"I apologize on her behalf." Anty replied, still sitting on top of me probably to keep me in place.

"...anyway, I have felt a shift in time earlier and had a feeling it was caused by one of you." Celebi commented as he looked at all three of us. "The future is looking...bittersweet at the moment if not sweeter. If it alters again, I will have to intervene and go back in time to fix it. Again..."

_What does he mean by that?_ I wondered.

"...where the hell is that thunder demon?" He suddenly asked. When he got a rather strange answer, he reverted to his Pokemon form and flew off into the time stream without questioning it.

"Well I'm glad we have him backing us up." Naoko chirped once the Time-traveling Pokemon disappeared.

"Now...what am I going to do with you?" Anty turned her attention back to me and I narrowed my eyes in response. "It would be a shame to kill someone so young..."

"Just take the necklace." Naoko told her as she gazed at me with an expression I couldn't read well. "That's the whole reason right?"

"Unfortunately for me, I can't keep control over this temporary vessel for long...and just battling her has weakened my control just a bit..." She rose and got off of me, walking away with a huff. "Are you going to stay around with that girl?" She jerked her chin in my direction almost with disgust.

"Eh, I have nothing better to do." Naoko smiled before waving goodbye. "Later, Anty!"

"Alright...remember to keep in character." With that, Anty disappeared into the shadows. Naoko released a sigh before turning to me. I have managed to get to a kneeling position, rubbing my neck with a hurt expression.

"This all better be good entertainment." She mused, her clear blue eyes flashed for a minute. "Well then, I look forward to your performance, mortals."

"...what the hell...are you?" I growled at her and a sudden chill whipped around me, freezing the ground and even the trees themselves. An aura unlike any I've felt surrounded Naoko and I had the strange feeling as if I was in the presence of a powerful being. A god perhaps.

"Please rephrase that, dear." She teased, taking in my baffled almost fearful look with a small smile. "Others may take offense to that."

"You..." I stammered as I rose to my feet. Still smiling she vanished from my sight and appeared behind me, one arm raised.

"Sleep." She ordered and after a swift hit to the back of my neck, I passed out.

* * *

_The next morning..._

"What a lovely morning." Jain's voice was the first thing that floated through my ears when I regained consciousness. "The birds are singing. Flowers are blooming." I cracked my eyes open to see her and Skyla kneeling in front of me.

"And Asura is half-dead on the ground." Skyla chuckled before noticing that I wasn't in my usual preppy spirit. "What's wrong? Didn't sleep well?"

"...you can say that..." I mumbled and stood up, stretching out my limbs out of habit. I stole a quick glance at Naoko and she just smirked at me. _Damn it...I wanna know what she's thinking..._

"Don't say anything or Tama will kill you." Silva commented dryly somewhere off to the side. Like father and daughter, their silver bedheads was nothing to laugh about except it was extremely spiky in the back. Having a quick breakfast, we cleared the campsite and hit the road with Jain in the lead. Following her advise, we made it through the forest without much trouble and the shortcuts helped reduce the time too.

"Aaannnnnd here we are!" The Spinarak gijinka said in a dramatic voice, two of her four arms were out in a dramatic pose as well. What laid before us was a marvelous view of the next city in the journey to collect all eight badges and challenge the League. "Goldenrod City!"

"Thank you for guiding us." Naoko said and the rest of my teammates also chimed in.

"Yeah, who knows how much longer we'd have to stay in the forest if Asura took the lead." Skyla laughed much to my horror.

"Hey! Don't tell them that!" I whined.

"Awww, stop it, you all are too kind." Jain said, flattered by the praise. "Like I said before, it's good to have connections to help when you're stuck, y'know?"

"Hey Asura, I have some things to say about this area." Kalil approached me with a smile. "Route 34 has a lot of battlers who are getting into shape before challenging the city's gym leader so heads up. That guy's the reason why people drop out of the challenge quickly."

_Hmmmm...the gym leader sounds like a challenge..._I thought about it.

"But don't worry about it too much! Sixth time's the charm!" Kalil laughed before getting punched by his girlfriend.

"Well it was nice meeting you again, Asura." Jain said with a smile of her own. "Your teammates are really cool and I'm sure you guys won't break a sweat in the city's gym. I hope that you will reach the Leagues one day!"

"I'll make sure to call you first thing when we do." I promised. "I hope everything sorts out in the end for you two. Let's meet again sometime." Jain nodded and we shook hands.

"Hmm...I shall depart as well." Naoko spoke up as she bowed to our group. "Thank you for allowing me to accompany you."

"No problem, it was an honor to have you hang out with us!" Skyla replied, her eyes were all sparkly again. Naoko smiled before turning to me and I immediately sensed something was up with her.

"May we fatefully meet again. Especially you, anomaly."

"...what did you..."

_Bearer of the Flames. _Her voice pierced through my mind like the howling northern winds, sending chills down my spine again. _  
_

"Wait!" I turned around to there was no one there, it was just a misty clearing. _Bearer of the Flames? What did she mean by that?_

"Hey Asura, we're about to go to the battle spot so hurry up!" Skyla shouted, noticing that I was just standing absolutely still. "So slowww!"

"A-A-Actually...I'm gonna head to the Pokemon Center..." I told them, getting a few weird looks along the way. "You guys go and enjoy the battle spot...be safe alright?"

"...I wonder what's eating her?" Skyla wondered as I disappeared into the town. "She's been like this since this morning."

"I'm sure Strawberry head will get it all figured out...eventually." Tama said. "In the mean time, I really wanna practice some stuff. I haven't destroyed anything since...well since forever."

"That sounds good to me." Silva smiled as he ruffled his daughter's hair. "Let's train well for the time being."

* * *

_Pokemon Center..._

The center was bigger than I had imagined but then again...I was so out of it I just sat down with a dazed look on my face. The Nurse Joy fretted about my poor health and patched me up quick, even getting me a cup of coffee and a bagel. I thanked her and watched as she walked away however I couldn't get rid of the unsettling feel deep within. Reaching underneath my shirt I pulled out my necklace and gazed at it in wonder, my eyes honing in on the weird mark in the middle.

_Bearer of the Flames._ Naoko's haunting words came back to me and I closed my fingers tightly around the object, my body was shaking all over again.

"Yo. I thought it had to be you Asura. Fancy your evolution did some good for you." A voice spoke and I opened my eyes to see Hayes standing before me, looking at me with her usual stare.

"What?" She glared at me when I looked up at her with a curious expression; it wasn't everyday that someone who hates you would want to speak to you right off the bat. "I'm just here to make some small talk so quit making that weird ass face...like what the hell."

"That's so unlike you though." I muttered, scooting over to make room for her. _Great, now it got super awkward..._An image of us accidentally kissing back in Kurt's home popped into my head and I felt the temperature rise in my cheeks._ Damn it...why now of all times..._

"Umm...you might wanna calm down before you burn a hole in the couch..." Hayes stated, noticing smoke billowing up from underneath my bottom.

"Woah!" I stood up quickly and patted it down with my hands, getting rid of the smoldering with a panic expression. "Oh no..."

_Heh...she was thinking of that image...crap now I'm thinking about it as well!_ "Look, we both know that this conversation isn't gonna go anywhere so..." She rolled up the sleeve of her left arm and unwrapped the bandages."Tell me what the fuck this is."

_That mark..._My eyes were drawn immediately to the design on her skin and I felt my breath getting stuck in my throat. "Where did you get that?"

"Back in Elm's lab where we had our first fight." Hayes told me, watching my every reaction carefully. "Can you recall anything?"

"We were fighting...and your hand brushed against my necklace...then there was a bright light..." I remembered the fight vividly and reached for the stone tied around my neck, looking at it in wonder. "Right?"

"That's how I remember it too." She nodded her head slowly and I felt as thought the images all came back to me in one huge tidal wave.

"Yes...there was that light and...everything was a huge mess."

"I tried to do some snooping around myself but I got nothing." She admitted. "Which leaves only you. You must know something about this and the necklace..."

"Everything ties together with my necklace." I mused before looking off to the side. _Seriously, this lucky rock has brought me nothing but trouble..._

"...you're thinking of something aren't you...?" Hayes growled, snapping me out of my stupor. "C'mon! Spill it! This thing has been driving me crazy since I got it and I have absolutely no fuckin idea what it is!"

"I'm not so sure what it is exactly..." I told her, sitting back down since I was tired of standing all the time. "But...I'm sure it'll all come together in the end."

"Tch. You're no help, I can't believe I wasted my time asking." She snorted, almost like she was upset. "By the way, the gym leader here is hard...really fuckin hard so if you don't get your ass into shape..." She drew a finger across her throat which signified an instant defeat. "You're dead."

"...I know." I replied as she got up, turning to leave and rejoin her own team who were waiting for her by the entrance. "Thanks Hayes."

"Don't thank me because I hope to never run into you anymore." She said as she looked over her shoulder. "Here's my final warning..." She flashed forward, holding me by the front of my shirt. "...if anyone on my team is harmed because of your shit, be it Team Rocket or whatever else, you're dead. Got it?"

"...loud and clear." I mumbled and she grinned. Putting me back on my feet, she turned around and stormed out of the center, not bothering to look back.

* * *

**A/N**: Team status update! I should probably separate them too so it doesn't look so squished.

**Asura Rhys**

Sex: Female

Ability: Blaze

Nature: Adamant

Good endurance

Lv. 25 Charmeleon

**Skyla Aderyn**

Sex: Female

Ability: Keen Eye

Nature: Bold

Scatters things around

Lv. 21 Pidgeotto

**Silva Suzuki**

Sex: Male

Ability: Static

Nature: Impish

Often lost in thought

Lv. 19 Flaaffy

**Tama Suzuki**

Sex: Female

Ability: Serene Grace

Nature: Rash

Alert to sounds

Lv. 16 Togepi

**Felina Koloss**

Sex: Female

Ability: Swift Swim

Nature: Serious

Strongly defiant

Lv. 19 Magikarp

**Hayes Frondemen**

Sex: Female

Ability: Overgrow

Nature: Adamant

Proud of its power

Lv. 25 Bayleef

**Erik Nenner**

Sex: Male

Ability: Inner Focus  
Nature: Impish

Highly persistent

Lv. 23 Golbat

**Damien Morino**

Sex: Male

Ability: Levitate

Nature: Rash

Good endurance

Lv. 20 Gastly


End file.
